BACKGROUND.
Winam Plumbers was established in 2002 and is specialized in plumbing, drainage, fabrication, and fire fighting.
The company is a subcontractor company with an NCA Level 6 rating.
Wilson Oluoch attended Kabete Technical College where he gained his educational and training experience in plumbing and decided to leave employment and gained the motivation to join the industry and become the pioneer. After finishing his studies at Kabete, he went to NIVTC Nairobi and Kisumu. He worked with Mather + Platt for fifteen years, and after gaining enough experience, he decided to launch himself into the market and started the company to offer services in the construction industry.
RECENT PROJECTS.
- South Eastern University in Kitui
- Mt Kenya Holiday Homes, Nanyuki
- Catholic church near Rimpa
- Worked with Safaricom for projects in Nakuru and Malindi
- Private Homes in Runda, Lavington, Karen
SUGGESTIONS FOR BUSINESS GROWTH.
Mr. Wilson advises that slow and stabilized growth is the best for the growth of a company, rather than rushing faster. He advises that a company should focus on handling a few projects at a time to ensure that there’s efficiency and good supervision.
He also adds that it’s good for a company to look for clients with good jobs that will help them build a good reputation in the construction industry.
UNIQUE SELLING POINT.
Mr. Wilson notes that at Winam Plumbers, clients are engaged to get their opinions on the choice of materials they want to use on their projects, and the company advises their clients based on quality materials and for quality output to prevent shoddy jobs. As a result of this quality service, Winam Plumbers manage to get contracts easily, even without having to go through the tender process.
QUALITY CONTROL.
Winam Plumbers has a list of dedicated suppliers who they go to for materials of choice for their projects to prevent the use of substandard materials.
The company also has dedicated staff who are well-trained and trusted to do quality work on the site.
LONG-TERM STRATEGIC VISION.
Mr. Wilson Oluoch states that one of the company’s long-term strategies is to venture into manufacturing & Importation of the materials that they use. Owing to the influx of foreign materials, he states that many of these materials are not of high quality, hence using their brand would ensure they have good quality materials that are well priced.
His prospects for the future are to see young people rise and take positions in the industry and make decisions about career choices so they will be more satisfied instead of being enslaved. He also desires to see local companies in the future being able to compete with foreign companies and show them that there is no need to depend on foreign suppliers and developers.
CHALLENGES.
One of the challenges his company faces is a low number of contracts, owing to the new methods of the online tendering process. This, he notes, has eroded professionalism, seeing that many companies are awarded contracts in the most informal ways, causing the deserving companies to lack contracts to work on.
Mr. Wilson also adds that another challenge is that foreign companies are taking over roles that can be done by local companies, and this is a big threat to them. He adds that the NCA classification should categorize the types of contracts or jobs that should be handled by both local and foreign construction companies.
INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS.
With his vast experience in the industry, Mr. Wilson notes that the materials in the market today are far much more superior to those that they used way back when he started, for examples most of the sanitary fittings they use today are very efficient and use very little water compared to many years ago.
He also adds that newer technology has helped improve the efficiency of the products they use in their projects.
OUTLOOK ON THE KENYAN MARKET.
He foresees the future to force most of the companies to either collapse or expand in the sense that they work with a wide range of subcontractors. He notes that companies that have a range of services offered by them instead of hiring many subcontractors will do well as compared to those companies that are not fully sled-fledged to offer all services at a go.
Mr. Wilson desires to see his company rise to a corporate organization that has the muscle and capacity to offer a wide range of services without hiring additional subcontractors. This will help Winam Plumbers operate more efficiently and generate more revenue.
OPPORTUNITIES.
With devolution, Mr. Wilson is optimistic about the decentralization of services, hoping that the counties will provide the necessary infrastructure that will make it easier for contractors to offer the services across the country.
He also adds that with the increased level of development in the rural areas, there’s a bigger opportunity for the young people to rise and tap these opportunities to offer services in these rural construction projects, and this will create employment opportunities for many of the young people.
Mr. Wilson concluded by saying, ‘Quality comes first. Any work you do with good quality advertises you.’