I was recently speaking to a mechanic that also runs an Auto Spares Shop. He’s been having a regular supplier of motor vehicle oil. This oil supplier had become so reliable until recently. The mechanic ordered for oil and re-sold it to another colleague. The colleague soon noticed that the exhaust was releasing white fumes. It turns out, there was something wrong with the oil.
The mechanic calls the oil supplier who soon offered to replace the oil consignment. It soon became clear to the mechanic that someone is duplicating the Shell/Vivo oil. Unfortunately, Total and Shell can only supply directly to more established distributors (with a minimum of UGX 100 million). The counterfeit oil has created issues in the motor vehicle market in Uganda. The repercussions of counterfeit engine oil are endless, from destroying customer relationships to causing engine failure.
Again, how can the big oil suppliers come in to solve these quality issues in the last mile? At some petrol station in Kiwatule, the whole service team had to be fired. On top of the genuine oil they would receive from the supplier, they would blend in counterfeit oil. Thus, it poses questions on the quality of motor vehicle lubricants in Uganda. What is the role of Uganda National Bureau of Standards? Is there a way to certify lubricant distributors and retailers?
During the conversation with the mechanic, I posed a question on data. Can you tell the pattern of the car from the time you started working on it? I asked the mechanic; ‘how many cars have you worked on from the time you started the trade?’ What if he had maintained a database for each of these cars, and the failure rates, and replacements for the different parts? Wouldn’t we apply artificial intelligence to come up with some clear patterns and models about Ugandan cars and the state of different parts?
It’s clear that small businesses in Uganda ought to find solutions for quality management and data management. It’s a differentiator in the space, the ability to have quality validation and data management processes. What’s your experience of small businesses in Uganda?