RusselSmith Nigeria Limited, now officially known as Arridex, announced its formal change of name registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission of Nigeria. This transformation signifies the organization's substantial growth in capabilities and the breadth of industries it serves, extending far beyond the oil and gas services it started with in the early 2000s.
From Asset Integrity to Multi-Sector Industrial Technology
Originally an asset integrity company serving Nigeria's oil and gas sector, the organization has evolved into a multi-sector industrial technology group operating across oil and gas, maritime, aerospace, defense, construction, and manufacturing. Its subsidiaries encompass engineering and construction delivery, autonomous systems development, and advanced technology products, alongside industrial additive manufacturing and asset integrity operations.
Arridex holds Pioneer Status in additive manufacturing, granted by the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), and is the first company qualified by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) for additive manufacturing deployment in the oil and gas sector. These recognitions highlight Arridex's capabilities and its role in building indigenous industrial capacity at scale.
Operational Excellence and Milestones
With over 20 years of continuous delivery, Arridex is certified to ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018, underpinning an integrated management system that governs operations across all sectors. The company has recorded zero lost time incidents across more than seven million man-hours of operations.
The name change coincides with a significant operational milestone: the commissioning of the Arridex Omnifactory, West Africa's first multi-technology industrial additive manufacturing facility, in Lagos in June 2026. The Omnifactory integrates multiple additive manufacturing technologies, including Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF), Cold Spray, Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF), and Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) under one roof, enabling on-demand production of industrial components, spares, and improved part designs for critical industries. Its large-format additive manufacturing capabilities also allow for the production of large-scale structures, including full-size marine components.
Addressing Africa's Supply Chain Challenges
Africa's critical industries have long depended on imported components and specialist expertise, with supply chains spanning multiple jurisdictions and lead times that affect operational continuity for asset owners, especially with legacy parts. The Omnifactory manufactures industrial components and parts on demand in Lagos, helping to build operational resilience in critical industries.
Kayode Adeleke, Group Chief Executive Officer of Arridex, stated: “The name RusselSmith defined what we were at the start. Arridex defines what we have built. The dependency of African industry on fragile supply chains is a structural problem that this continent has accepted for too long. The Omnifactory is a concrete answer to the challenge of manufacturing sovereignty. Arridex is the name of the company built over two decades and raised intentionally to enable industrial resilience in Africa.”
Strategic Partnerships and Future Outlook
Arridex is a Designated Strategic Partner of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC) and serves clients across Nigeria and the wider African region. The organization has a joint venture partnership with the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) for military-grade additive manufacturing, and is a member of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and the Defence Industries Association of Nigeria (DIAN). With the Omnifactory commissioning in June 2026, Arridex enters its next phase of operations under a name that reflects the full scope of what it has built.
