Karim Sultanali Noorani

Children

Khalid Emilio Noorani 1987

The information below has been provided by Khalid Emilio Noorani and also taken from his website: https://unicompex.com/a-propos-de-nous/.

History

1980s – Honda

In 1980, Karim, after obtaining his bachelor’s degree of mechanical engineering in Canada at Concordia University joined the family business at the age of 24.

Together, father and son, they developed the company and opened the first Honda garage in 4eme Rue in Limete in Kinshasa.

Leon Motema, a young Congolese manager at the time, went to Japan and returned to the company and helped grow and build the garage. He stayed with the company until the present day where he now heading the telecom maintenance department.

During that time, Sultan invested together with his friend and partner, Andre Schetter, in an established Belgian agricultural machinery company, Melotte Congo.

1990s – Isombe Honda

In 1990 and 1991, Isombe, Sultan and Karim’s business of Honda product took a huge hit with the lootings by the Zairian military of Kinshasa. They lost millions of dollars of goods after their homes and offices were emptied by angry soldiers who had not been paid. They fled the DRC to Congo Brazzaville for 2 years while they rebuilt the company.

Eventually things settled and after repaying huge debts to suppliers and taking out loans from friends and family, the company grew again. Karim had secured a contract to manage the Shell Oil Company fuel stations in Kinshasa where he kept selling Honda products like motorbikes, cars and small portable generators.

However, in 1997, the dictator of Zaire at the time Mobutu was overthrow by Joseph Kabila. The Honda business Isombe had to be closed down and the whole Noorani family left to the UK and South Africa.

But Karim kept coming back to Zaire, which became the Democratic Republic of Congo, to rebuild his business. On the 19th of July 1997, Karim and his father Sultan set up Unicompex and started again from scratch. They began introducing the sale and servicing of large diesel generator sets by FG Wilson, Lister Petter, Deutz, Perkins. They started servicing diesel generators for telecoms like Vodacom and Celtel.

2000s – FG Wilson

In 2001, Unicompex became the exclusive FG Wilson dealer in the DRC. FG Wilson is a company with over 50 years experience in diesel generator manufacturing. They are a UK company and are part of the Caterpillar group. They manufacture their generators in China, UK and Brazil. They only use Perkins engines which are also known for their durality and quality.

2010s – Telecoms

In 2010, Unicompex developed significant projects with Vodacom in Kinshasa with the maintenance of over 600 base transceiver station sites equipped with 20 kvA diesel generators.

Unicompex now represents the following suppliers in the DRC:

• FG Wilson, a 50 year old diesel generator manufacturer from the UK, owned by Caterpillar since 1999

• Datakom, a Turkish company specialised in control panels with remote monitoring and synchronisation

• Inforise, a static voltage regulator company in Turkey

• Deutz, a German engine company

In 2018,

• Unicompex won a maintenance contract for 400 telecom sites for Helios Towers Infraco in the east of the DRC : Goma, Kisangani, Bukavu, Bunia, Beni, etc… It is a region known for instability and difficult working conditions. Part of the project took place during the Ebola epidemic and conflicts. The project was lead by Rachidy Biladi, who had been leading the servicing of generators for Unicompex in Kananga and Mbuji-Mayi for 5 years prior.

In 2019,

• Lead by Karim’s wife and business partner, Aracelli, Unicompex began distributing and selling lubricants. “Unicoil” was born

• Opened of a branch in the Republic of Congo, Brazzaville.

Today, Unicompex employs more than 150 employees in Kinshasa, Lubumbashi, Goma and other big cities in the DRC. They are committed to their clients and employees in order to be a leader in the back up energy sector in the Democratic Republic of Congo for years to come.

PHOTO GALLERY OF TH BUSINESS LIFE OF KARIM SULTAN NOORANI

Isombe Honda and Melotte Zaïre. Industrial agricultural machinery, Honda motorcycles, Honda groups, mills, water pumps. Karim and Aracelli Noorani.
Visit of officials and potential buyers.
Sale of Honda motorcycles to the Zairian police in front of the Honda Service Center
Visit of officials and potential buyers.
Karim with the Honda team in Japan.
April 9-14, 1990, Congress of Honda Importers of Africa. Karim and Sultan are present.
The workshop in 2003 with abandoned machines. A Melotte Zaire truck in the foreground.
Entrance at the back of the workshop in 2003
Entrance at the back of the workshop in 2020
The upper floor of the workshop carried a "We refuse to die" sign in 2003.
Same spot Meeting in 2020 in the "Stand-up Meeting" section of the workshop with monitoring white boards.
FG Wilson sign above the showroom, visible from the main road
Neil Bell, Central Africa Sales Manager for FG Wilson. Visiting Unicompex in 2020