I'm getting ready to leave Lagos now, I've got 2 days left and I'm doing last minute stuff. I now decide to call the operations manager of a textile mill I'd interviewed over e-mail last October - to thank him again for the interview and just see if I can get anything else out of him :-). So I call him up and randomly ask if I can come and visit at the mill (the mill specializes in the traditional material called Ankara) and he says sure! mwahahahahahaha! I was so surprised and happy!!!!
Though thinking back now, I don't know why I was so surprised he would say yes. LOL.
Excited, I wasted no time and headed there. He was very welcoming and gave me an extended interview. Answered ALL my questions plus the ones I didn't even ask. It was like my best interview ever. He explained how the mill is operated, the fact that they use gas generators and not diesel ones -- electricity is a big problem in Nigeria and powering generators is usually the single most costly expense for every business. Many businesses have shut down or aren't able to start because of the lack of power. Diesel is extremely expensive but this mill/factory have made a heavy investment in gas generators which costs them a minuscule fraction of what a diesel generator would cost to run. The flipside is the generator itself is super expensive - the benefits are only realized after a number of years, and your site must be connected to the gas grid. This is not the case in many places in Lagos. Most people buy their gas (for cooking) in cylinders. For instance he says gas rates fluctuate frequently, but they've once paid about N200,000 per month on gas whereas with a diesel generator it'll have been about N1,000,000. I haven't asked the surveyor yet if the land/site for the factory is connected to the state gas grid but if it's not, God will have to connect it Himself cos this is definitely the route I'd like to take.
The manager spoke a lot about where they source their cotton and raw materials, how they are processed. Staff operations, costs of running the mill, and so forth. I was just smiling the entire time.. I couldn't believe my luck!
After the interview, he gave us a tour of the mill. I have a video clip which I'll upload later on, but here are are some pictures, thanks Eni:
myself and the operations manager
spun cotton
goes in as plain cotton, comes out on this end printed
going through the calendering process
The mill source their cotton locally, from Northern Nigeria. In the 1970s, cotton used to be one of Nigeria's top exports and back then there were over 100 textile mills in operation. Today, there are barely 20 mills left, and cotton production quantity and quality has dropped drastically. In fact, some mills are now importing cotton from China to be able to satisfy the demands of the country. Why isn't the government subsidizing such a lucrative cash product? >>> another question mark for our leaders. How will 20 mills satisfy the demand of 150mm people??? There's no wonder why people buy their fabric and clothes abroad!
Not to end on a bad note, this mill has a ZERO waste policy. All prints that go wrong during production are not chucked away but sold at itty bitty prices and usually there' a mad rush for them by Aswani textile sellers. Also they do not encounter any scrap waste as there's no 'cutting' of anything. Really happy to hear that... my new buzzword is 'Sustainable Development'.
Done! :-D
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