Metalusa Industrial, the holding company of the «Metalusa Group», has incorporated a new subsidiary company, Metalusa CI, based in Abidjan, the capital of the Ivory Coast.
The establishment of the new subsidiary in Abidjan was sponsored by the Portuguese Ambassador to the Ivory Coast, Ms. Maria da Conceição de Sousa Pilar, and the event ended with a very pleasant dinner.
The Ivory Coast subsidiary joins the other companies in the Metalusa Group: Metalusa Portugal, Metalusa España, Metalusa France, Metalusa UK, Metalusa Angola, Metalusa Mozambique, Metalusa Maroc and Metalusa Chile.
* Manuel Coelho and Alberto Cravo (Members of the Board of Metalusa), Maria da Conceição Pilar (Portuguese Ambassador to the Ivory Coast) and Artur Cima (Member of the Board of the CIMA Group and local partner)
METALUSA’S STRATEGY FOR THE IVORY COAST
To understand why the Metalusa Group made this investment in the Ivory Coast, we interviewed Alberto Cravo, the Chairman of the Holding (Patrilar SGPS, SA).
Alberto Cravo, Chairman of the Board of Directors of «Patrilar Group».
Q: What is the reason for investing in the Ivory Coast?
AC: Metalusa found an opportunity to respond to the growing demand in this African market. From that moment on, the response followed the usual growth pattern within the group.
Q: And what is that response?
AC: The control of the companies of the «Metalusa Group» is held by the holding company, Metalusa Industrial, SA. The subsidiaries that we created in foreign markets have their own legal personality and separate assets from the holding company, as is the case now in the Ivory Coast. However, in contrast to all other subsidiaries, in the Ivory Coast we have established a partnership with a local partner.
Q: And that happened for any special reason?
AC: Our local partner is well established in the market and develops its activity in sectors that are economically intertwined with what we do. There was an opportunity and a will to grow together, we carried out a market study and, as the conditions to proceed with the investment were met, we did so.
Q: Will Metalusa Côte D’Ivoire compete in the Ivory Coast market in the same way as in other markets? This is a relevant question due to the fact that you now have a local partner.
AC: Metalusa’s competitive matrix remains the same. The Group has the human resources necessary to respond to any project involving large engineering works. We can develop the project from scratch or receive a project already designed for which execution we present an innovative and efficient solution in the specialties of scaffolding, formwork, shoring and other special engineering structures. Then, we offer our clients the necessary equipment on a sale or rental basis. In addition, we provide our local engineering services to respond to the customer's needs in terms of site preparation, stability calculations, monitoring of site workings and all other specialties that are requested.
