In Nigeria, many generator users find it challenging to switch over electricity when there is an outage at intervals; this is due to the manual method of flipping the powers. But with the advent of automatic changeover switch, generator owners seem to have found an easy alternative.
In today’s feature interview for this month on ‘Executive Hub’, the founders of Davstel Global Services Limited, David and Stella Adedeji shared with us all we need to know about one of their products, Automatic Changeover Switch for Generators.
EH: What led to the establishment of Davstel Global Services?
Davstel Global Services Limited was born out of our growing passion to contribute to the ever-growing demand for electrical resources in Nigeria. The passion became more intense after my then employer relocated to India due to the recession and an unfavourable business operating environment in Nigeria. Davstel is a short form of my wife’s and my middle name, David and Stella to create a dynasty for our lineage.
EH: How has the journey been?
Just like a child learning to walk, the journey has been exciting, full of discoveries, promising and worth it.
The economic landscape has not been favourable to entrepreneurship in general (specifically in Nigeria) and ours is not an exception. We have been able to survive through personal motivation and grit which helps us turn every disappointment into opportunities and create unique products which are relatable to every household in Nigeria and sub-Sahara Africa.
EH: What has been the major challenge?
The challenges are quite humongous, but let me mention these:
*Acceptability by the local market: This is so because Nigerians do not naturally believe in locally made products especially tech and relatable products. We have to be accepted in the local environment before we crave international acceptance.
*Capital: To produce our products in mass and market them effectively, we require a huge amount of capital through venture capitalists, tech investors and a host of other investors. We are currently growing organically and this is very challenging considering the current realities.
*Access to raw materials: Most of our raw materials are imported and considering the rate of Forex currently; it cost so much to produce in units, this, in turn, makes our profit margin very slim.
EH: Where do you see Davstel Global in the next five (5) to ten(10) years?
The future certainly holds the best for us as we are projecting to partner with well-meaning parastatals in the private and public sectors and also engage in several collaborative partnerships that will add value to the Nigerian populace and contribute meaningfully to the nation’s GDP.
EH: What impact has Davstel Global contributed to the power sector?
In the last five (5) years of our business incorporation, we have produced hundreds of inverters to complement the incessant power failure, especially in South-Western Nigeria. We have equally produced many Automatic Change-Over Switches which interface with main and alternative power sources like generators and electricity.
EH: Would you consider your product an international product?
Yes, they are products of international standards.
We have recently opened discussions with a partner in Dubai who is willing to distribute our Water Level indicator with a float switch for industrial fluid control.
EH: What are your latest products and the main features?
Our Latest products are:
i. Automatic Change-Over Switch (It switches off the generator when there is power supply; and can switch on the generator when power is interrupted)
ii. Water Level Indicator with Alarm and Float Switch. (It indicates the level of water in the water tank and switches off the pumping machine when the tank is full and also switches on the pumping machine when the water in the tank is low).
iii. Image Sensor
iv. The welding machine. (Both industrial and domestic welding machines).
v. Digital Image Counter (for counting entities like cars/humans in a particular place)
EH: What are the benefits of Automatic Change-Over Switch
i. It has an indicator and alarm to notify that power supply is restored.
ii. It automatically switches off the generator when the power supply is restored.
iii. It can operate from a single-phase to a three-phase power supply.
iv. It has an emergency switch to shut down the whole operation.
v. It can be used domestically and industrially.
vi. It is affordable and reliable.
EH: How does an automatic changeover switch work?
With an automatic changeover switch, the home’s power is automatically switched over during an outage; eliminating the need for manually switching. This is unlike a manual changeover switch, where the homeowner must flip a switch to turn the power draw from the commercial grid to the generator.
EH: Who are your target Market?
Our Target market/audience includes men and women who desire convenience in their everyday life, generator dealers, generator users, business owners, industrialists; and everyone in the power sector.
EH: Do you think the situation of power in Nigeria will encourage or break your business.
We designed our products, especially the Automatic Changeover Switch to cushion the effect of power failure on households loads currently engaged before power is interrupted. The Automatic Changeover Switch serves as an alternate power source switch with little or no human effort.
On the other hand, the inconsistent supply of power affects our production efficiency; as we also employ the use of generators when power is interrupted.
EH: What is the business model you are using to do the success of your business?
We have adopted a mix of top powerful business models to span from designing; and branding to sales and distribution and ultimately to take care of givebacks to the buyers.
More so, we have employed the Advertising model, the Market Place model which allows us to provide the products to the right consumers at a convergent point. In addition, we use the Razor Blade and Brokerage business model; which attracts middlemen to sell at a percentage commission while also providing discounts for the users/buyers alike.
EH: Any plan to diversify into other aspects of power soon?
We anticipate a Nigeria where power will be stable at 100%; thereby increasing the influx of manufacturing businesses and industrial transformation. We are working towards increasing the supply of power and machine tools, industrial electrical controls, and being a major player and stakeholder in the power sector.
EH: Your take-home word.
What you build grows and expands. With consistency, hard work, integrity and prayer, you can achieve anything you set out to achieve. Be the change the world needs.
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