Having driven much of Nigeria’s construction and industrial growth, Mantrac Nigeria is now turning that same energy towards digital efficiency.
The sole authorised Cat dealer representative in Nigeria, has launched its Digital Service Centre in Lagos, a remote support hub built to keep equipment running with greater efficiency and less downtime, across Nigeria and West Africa.
From the control room, Mantrac engineers can detect faults, run diagnostics, and resolve technical issues long before a breakdown occurs. This will ultimately improve customer service, speed up repairs, and reduce on-site intervention.
The initiative aligns with Mantrac’s goal of enhancing after-sales service through technology and human expertise.
“By combining Caterpillar’s world-class technology with local expertise, we’re ensuring customers get immediate, intelligent support — no matter where they are,” said Emad Adeeb, managing director of Mantrac Nigeria. “This is about empowering productivity and building stronger partnerships.”
The centre currently supports over 200 customer sites, cutting response time to as little as 20 to 50 minutes, depending on the issue. For Mantrac Nigeria, that’s beyond fixing machines faster, it’s about building trust in markets where equipment downtime can mean massive losses.
The centre functions as a command hub for remote diagnostics, performance tracking, and technical support for customers across mining, oil and gas, construction, and agriculture.
According to Nigel Lewis, chief operating officer of Mantrac Group, the development is a turning point for the company’s operations in Africa.
“It is an example of how we are harnessing digital solutions to improve customer outcomes, enhance operational safety, and create a sustainable service model that will shape the future of our industry,” he said.
Interestingly, Mantrac Nigeria’s MD, Adeeb stressed that the operation remains fully human-driven, despite the global rush toward artificial intelligence.
“We use well-advanced technology,” he clarified. “No AI, it’s all human intelligence and experience.”
“Caterpillar is proud to support Mantrac on this innovative initiative,” added Stephane Latini, director of Distribution, Eastern Africa at Caterpillar Inc. “Digital service solutions are transforming how we support our customers globally, and this new centre ensures that Nigerian and West African businesses can maximise equipment performance, productivity, and uptime with the latest Caterpillar technology.”
The Digital Service Centre ensures longevity of Caterpillar equipment and provides live remote troubleshooting through video consultations, enabling real-time support and issue resolution.
The service centre integrates Cat Product Link and VisionLink, systems that allow customers to track equipment health, analyse usage, and plan maintenance before breakdowns occur. It also supports remote software calibrations and condition-based maintenance, helping extend asset life and lower operational costs.
Mantrac has long been recognised for investing in technical education, a focus that continues to underpin its service excellence. Inside the company’s technical facility lies a machine lab complete with a hydraulic simulator and workshop space where trainees learn how to disassemble, assemble, and analyse Caterpillar components.
“We train both our engineers and our customers’ engineers,” one of Mantrac’s engineers said during a tour of the facility. “We increase their skills to make sure they do a better service and get good quality, good life from their equipment.”
Through Caterpillar University, engineers and customers can access hands-on and online training, from basic equipment awareness to advanced troubleshooting.
The platform is open globally under the initiative Technician for the World, providing free courses and certification opportunities that improve employability and strengthen local technical capacity.
Despite the heavy emphasis on digitalisation, Mantrac believes people remain the foundation of reliable service. The company recruits fresh engineering graduates and trains them for 3 to 6 months, building a skilled workforce to replace the 20% manpower lost annually to migration and other factors.
“There are lots of smart engineers in Nigeria,” Adeeb admitted. “But every year we lose about 20% of manpower. This is how we fill the gap, by training, retraining, and empowering.”
For customers, the new Digital Service Centre means faster problem-solving, less equipment downtime, and direct access to expert advice, all without the need to wait for a field visit. And for Mantrac, it shows a drive for technology to complement experience, but never replacing it.
Located in the heart of Ikeja, the service is toll-free for one year and old units can be upgraded to leverage the new technology.
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