Petrocom: A fiery passion to contribute to Rwanda’s progress

When Petrocom Ltd was founded in 1995, it started out as a rather modest transport company. Sixteen years later, it is among the biggest enterprises in the country, and its activities have branched out in sectors as varied as lubricants, gas, metal and milk.

In 2002, seven years after its creation, Petro­com was officially approved as an international transport company by the ministry of infra­structure. Nearly a decade later, the company’s transport subsidiary has come a long way. With a fleet of about 40 reliable trucks, it is at the top of its game, providing transportation of pe­troleum and other goods to and from ports in Tanzania and Kenya. “We are the biggest trans­porter in the country,” says Boyapale Reddy Go­pal, the manager of the transport department of Petrocom. “And one of the main advantages of our company is that all our trucks have cargo insurance.”

In addition, thanks to a well-equipped ga­rage employing qualified technicians and me­chanics to service the vehicles, Petrocom keeps its trucks in tip-top shape so that you can trust them at all times to deliver their cargo without delay. “Our aim is to make transport easy and affordable, and at the same time help boost the Rwandan economy,” explains commercial direc­tor Derrick Kayombya.

Considering that the country is landlocked which makes many companies dependent on imports for raw materials and on exports for earnings, that is not an empty claim. Among Petrocom’s main export cargo is tea, while pet­rol accounts for a big share of the imports – for major clients such as Kobil, SP and SP Aviation.

Yet in its fifteen years of existence, Petro­com has moved beyond transportation. It has also become Rwanda’s exclusive distributor of Rymco lubricants, a world-class oil fit for any type of truck, car or motorcycle. “We have the latest grade when it comes to lubricants,” ex­plains Patrick Kimenyi, commercial agent at Petrocom. “Some of them can be used both for gasoil and petrol engines and they last for up to 45,000 km – they are definitely recommended for anyone wanting to efficiently protect their engine and keep them running.”

The fact that Petrocom counts the national police and the ministry of defense among its cli­ents, as well as big public transport companies like Volcano Express, is certainly a testimony to the superior quality of its lubricants.

Petrocom also has entered the en­ergy market, with the sale of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for cooking, heating and light­ing. It is not only more environ­ment-friendly than char­coal, but also cheaper and cleaner in the kitchen (no soot); and it is not an energy-gobbler such as electric stoves. The company does not only sell bottles of gas, but also necessary appliances such as gas stoves and accessories. Among Petrocom’s many clients in this field are hotels, restaurants, schools, hospi­tals, factories as well as numerous families.

Ufametal

Over the years, Petrocom has also created two distinct subsidiaries, the first of which is Ufametal, which as the name suggests produces all kinds of metal construction materials. These include metal sheets, tubes and pipes of differ­ent thicknesses, bespoke parts such as frames for doors and windows, as well as guttering and ridges.

With its state-of-the-art equipment, Ufam­etal can produce 5000 pieces of roofing sheets of 3 meters each in 24 hours and 2500 pieces of hollow sections, 6 meters long, in 6.5 hours. “This means that our customers’ orders can be delivered in 12 hours max even when we have many orders to fill,” remarks Patrick Kimenyi. “And if we are not very busy, we can even de­liver in less than an hour, depending on how big the order is.”

And placing orders is, by the way, as easy as it can get. “Customers’ desires are very impor­tant, and our products can be entirely custom­ized to the customer’s exact specifications,” Ki­menyi says. In addition, roofing sheets are avail­able in a variety of colors, so that they can fit on any house.

But they are not only beautiful, they are also solid and durable and therefore suitable for all weather conditions, which is great news with the Rwandan weather changing at all times. This is due to the fact that Ufametal’s roofing sheets are coated in a way to make them anti-corrosive, so there is no need to change them every few years.

“The best thing is that we offer our custom­ers variety to choose from,” said Kimenyi. In­deed, the great variety of the company’s wares, plus its ability to adapt to specific demands, means that it is unlikely you will leave Ufametal empty-handed. And neither will your wallet be empty. “Our products are affordable,” added Kimenyi. “After all, our motto is ‘quality at the best price’.”

One organization which has already been convinced is the ministry of education, which has chosen Ufametal to supply roofing sheets and other construction materials for its class­room construction program in the context of the 9-year basic education. And with Kigali’s construction boom, many others are turning to the company for its durable and affordable products.

This confidence shown by the local market has convinced Ufametal to think big and look beyond the country’s borders. “We hope to ex­port our products to Burundi and Congo, and even Uganda, in the near future,” says Derrick Kayombya the commercial manager of Petro­com.

Kagugu Dairy Farm

The second subsidiary, in an entirely differ­ent field of activity, is Kagugu Dairy Farm, locat­ed just outside Kigali City. It is a modern cattle farm which houses some 190 hybrid and Friesian cows, which together can reach a production of 1600 liters of milk per day. It has mechanized milking facilities as well as modern cooling and milk treatment equipment.

The milk of Kagugu Dairy Farm is sold either directly from the farm or at its dairy outlets in Kigali. The milk is of the highest quality as no ar­tificial growth hormones are used on the cattle and they are kept healthy and clean through me­ticulous hygiene, in order to maximize the qual­ity and production of milk. Preservation of the milk is also taken care of. “We have coolers that protect the milk after milking and during trans­port,” explains Eugene Ndayambaje, the farm’s manager. “This and the other factors contribute to making our milk sell faster than any other.”

On a farm of this size, work is always avail­able: taking care of the animals, feeding them, cleaning the stalls, growing the animals’ feed, taking care of the milking and its conservation and so on. This greatly benefits the local resi­dents, Ndayambaje points out, since they con­stitute a big part of the workers on the farm. “The local residents can also get high quality milk close to their homes,” he adds.

The company’s vision is to be the best provid­er of diverse high-quality dairy products and be able to do their own packaging. “With that goal in mind, we are hoping to acquire equip­ment in the near future that will allow us to process the milk and produce various wholesome milk products such as fresh whole milk, UHT milk, pasteurized milk, low fat and skimmed milk, yoghurt, soft and hard cheeses, butter products, differ­ent types of cream and others, in order to give more choices to our customers,” says Petrocom’s commercial direc­tor Kayombya.

Farming and cattle keeping also need to be done in a way that is mindful of the environ­ment in order to be developed on a sustainable scale. Petrocom is doing exactly that with its dairy farm in Kagugu, where all the activities are done with the protection and conservation of environment in the forefront, and even the cow dung is used to produce biogas (see sidebar).

Big taxpayer

With such a vast array of activities, Petrocom has a significant socioeconomic impact. All its subsidiaries combined employ 175 permanent workers and 125 casual ones, generating an in­come for their families and thus improving their livelihoods. As some of them told us, they are now able not just to provide basic necessities for their households, but also easily send their children to school. In addition, Petrocom also ensures access to healthcare for the employ­ees and their families through RAMA’s health scheme.

Petrocom is of course also one of the coun­try’s biggest taxpayers. “We pay millions in taxes each month,” explains John Paul Tuyishime, the financial director.

With its diligent, experienced, professional and innovative staff, the use of new technolo­gies, Petrocom continues to raise the bar in its objectives and to identify new targets when others have been reached. And in all it does, the company has a fiery passion not only to improve itself, but also to contribute to the progress of Rwanda.

See also:

• Turning cow dung into biogas
• Giving back to society