INTERVIEW WITH ALBERT OCRAN, CEO, COMBERT IMPRESSIONS, ACCRA
Combert Impressions Ghana – a company which started as a small printing press has successfully used leasing as a finance mechanism to purchase equipments and expand its business frontiers and currently ranks tops in the print and publishing industry in Ghana.
In a chat to share the company’s experience and leasing success story, Mr, Albert Ocran, CEO Combert Impression stated that his organization currently relies totally on leasing to finance all its equipments. Why? Because leasing has the advantage of your collateral not been stretched; and if you don’t have collateral at all, the equipment itself serves as collateral. Combert Impressions took its first lease in 200. This is because at that time, it was more difficult to get a bank loan than to take a lease. And the leasing companies were more flexible and timely as compared to the bank. Combert Impressions has undertaken four leases and completed three of the transactions. In terms of speed and timely delivery of services, Mr. Ocran said that ‘leasing companies tend to have a lead over the banks and less bureaucratic in the approval and closing of deals’.
Asked whether leasing has delivered his expected benefits? He commended the leasing industry for the business expansion opportunities leasing offers to small businesses where collateral is not a requirement which is extremely significant for growing business.
Mr. Ocran in his concluding remarks recommended leasing to start-up companies whilst stating that ‘no matter how competitive the industry is, banks will still not look at start-ups. But since start-ups tend to be generic, in case of default the ability to sell the equipment makes leasing safer option for the small businesses compared to bank loans which may be misapplied completely’.
