Setting the industrial pace for a purposeful emulation

“Pacesetting is a style of leadership when a leader leads from the front, constantly sets high standards for their team and expects them to exceed with minimal management. It’s when as a manager you set the cadence for your team and demand high intensity in their performance. A pacesetter is never out of place; he sets the standard from which criteria of selection for others will be established. A pacesetter is a person or a company that is considered to be the leader in a particular field or activity. A pacesetter could also be described as a person, group, or organization that is the most progressive or successful and serves as a model to be imitated or emulated.”

It is no coincidence that KAM-Key Account Management(KAM), in banking or logistics is the process of managing and growing a company’s most important B2B customers and large accounts in a systematic way to maximise value for both organisations- expanding the relationship with existing customers by continuously proposing solutions that meet objectives, or the process of planning and managing a mutually beneficial partnership between organisations and its most important customers. It is significant to an organisation’s sustainable, long-terms growth and require a substantial investment of both time and resources, managing and nurturing relationships with most important and high-value clients. Just as it were in the case of Indra Nooyi, former CEO of PepsiCo, who was a strong example in industrial pace setting as she was influential in setting ambitious business growth goals that greatly improved efficiency and streamlined operations, so also it is in the case of the Chairman, KAM Holding, Dr. Ibitoye Yusuf Kamoru. KAM Holding is a multi company with professional and managerial interest in mining, steel production, nails, binding wire, wire mesh, roofing sheets, stone coated roofing tiles, and haulage. KAM Holding as a foremost haulage company in Nigeria, its haulage services transcends Nigerian border, with safe delivery of goods such as scraps, nails, ore, waste, tramming, general haulage, TMT, mining, heavy equipment, minerals for customers, business partners, and affiliate companies. It is the largest indigenous metal and steel production company in Nigeria, with a global presence in three different countries- Nigeria, China and India. Additionally, the company is one of the largest employers of labour in Nigeria with over 11,600 permanent and casual staff. KAM Holding’s interest in steel ranges in size, quality, length, diameter, and designs. Its Elephant TMT iron rod is the most demanded for by customers in the market because it is of high strength thermos- mechanically treated with reinforcement bars which guarantee superior strength, high bond capacity, wth excellent weldability, high dimension tolerance, seismic resistance, fire resistance and wonderful corrosion resistance.

KAM steel products are widely used in concrete reinforcement structures, bridge construction, flyovers, building construction, underground construction and in the transport system. In Nigeria and offshore, KAM steel products is the delight of every customer. As their mission implies, its target is to be global leader in steel and building materials manufacturing with a brand name synonymous for excellence, and to provide high quality products that meet international standards. From the customers’ attestation about quality of their products, KAM’s roofing sheets lead in terms of demand and request. Their roofing sheets vary in quality and durability, size, thickness, and could be customised to suit specific requirements. Galvanized/corrugated/profiled roofing sheets- are metal sheets that have been coated with layers of zinc to protect against rust and corrosion, and its zinc coated roofing sheets are made up of steel core or metal base coated with stone chips and acrylic film. KAM’s zinc coated roofing sheets are resistant to weathering and they can withstand extreme temperatures- making them the choice of the customers in terms of harsh weather conditions.

In terms of quality production and delivery services, KAM Holding comes first with unique equipment plants that were fabricated locally, and they are the first African company to build the largest Integrated Cold Roll Steel Mill Complex- fully automated factory with modern steel manufacturing technology, electric Arc Furnace(EAF)- one of its kind in Africa, which remains the most modern and effective way of producing high quality steel, both physical and metallurgical. KAM Long Products manufacturing plants have the highest capacity to produce liquid steel in Nigeria. With business presence in about six locations in Nigeria- Kwara State, Ogwashi-Ukw, in Delta State, Sokoto State, Warrington, Kirikiri, Abule-Odhun, Ikeja and Victoria Island, Igbafa village, Sagamu, Oron in Akwa Ibom, Ayetoro in Ogun State, Wuxi and Suzhou, in China and India, the Chairman/ CEO of KAM Holding, Dr. Yusuf Ibitoye Kamoru has mentored over 200 Nigerians and foreigners in allied business, winning over 350 awards and laurels, both locally and internationally, for his outstanding contributions to the economic development, job creation, promotion of government agencies, private organisations, student associations, community and civil groups, religious and professional bodies, and has become a giant and dominant industrial figure.

As a result of his enterpreneurial wizardry, Dr. Kamoru serves as a National Council member and Vice President of the Manufacturer Association of Nigeria, MAN, South-West zone; member of the Wire World, Chairman of Basic Metal, Iron and Steel and Fabricated Metal Products Sectoral Group of MAN. Known for his uncompromising stance, infallible character and untainted integrity, he was found worthy by reputable ivy leagues like Concept University, UK, University of Calabar, Osun, Kwara State Universities, and honoured with Doctorate degrees. He is also a holder of National Award, Member of the Order of the Niger, MON, an award that is usually given to people who have contributed to the development of Nigeria, especially in areas like business, education, and public service- the honour that was conferred on him by former President Mohammad Buhari. In his attempt to give back to the society and have-nots, he has installed streetlights in various communities; supply transformers to some towns and villages; established an Enterpreneurial Fund at the Kwara State University, with a revolving loan for the students; paid the medical bills of helpless individuals, both within and outside the country; promoted sports and entertainment through his KAM FC football club; contributes to the Nigeria’s industrialization and economic drive, which in turn generates employment opportunities and in cataclysmic effect gives a boost to national IGR; provided welfare and scholarships to brilliant students in tertiary institutions; built and maintained roads in industrial areas.

As a leading industrial giant, KAM Holding prioritises the welfare of its staff and this negated the construction of the state-of-the-art health facilities within its premises where thousands of workers earn a living; crèche facility for nursing mothers, and a 5-star accommodation for local and expatriates staff. Not known for sub-standard and shoddy production, KAM Holding has won many awards of recognition- Best Large Enterprise Customer Award by Bank of Industry; Africa’s Fast Growth Metal and Steel Production Company of the Decade; one of the Top 100 Businesses in Nigeria; National Quality Order of Merit Award, and West Africa Best World Class Metal and Steel Production Brand Award. Dr. Yusuf Ibitoye Kamoru is such a pacesetting industrialist who frequently accomplishes greater achievements by constantly raising the bar with exceptional results. For his enterpreneurial expertise, Dr. Kamoru must have drawn some certain lessons from that great business magnate, Aristotle Onassis who amassed the world’s largest privately owned shipping fleet. He probably did that by knowing something his competitors didn’t, and that made him to assert that, “The secret of business is to know something that nobody else knows.” To many, this business tycoon was never known for frivolity but pays constant attention to little details- reasons for his industrial fecundity, and his believe that success in business is not all about ideas but about making ideas happen and this he typifies. Without any undertone of high-falutin encomium, Dr. Kamoru Yusuf takes a cosy seat alongside high-flying captains of industry like Aliko Dangote, Femi Otedola, Mike Adenuga, and Abdulsamad Rabiu.

Dapo Ipoola, a media consultant wrote in from llorin.

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