eBusiness Weekly
Enacy Mapakame
Cleanliness is next to Godliness, so the saying goes. This is one of the motivating factors for Kusi Chemicals, a detergents manufacturing firm that aspires to become a billion dollar revenue company in the next 10 years with support from stakeholders.
Kusi is still a long way to compete with big brands for local shelf space. But sales and marketing executive Lloyd Shiripinda said the company is on track and looking at spreading across the country with its detergents. Ultimately, Kusi should go beyond the Zimbabwean borders.
And there are already vast signs of that growth.
Kusi Chemicals started off in Harare with four employees and has grown to 24 in less than a year.
The company manufactures domestic detergents with 26 lines of products under the Clean Fresh brand name.
These range from all-purpose surface cleaner, dish washer, scouring powder, fabric softener, household sanitiser, hair shampoo, regular bleach, washing powder, degreaser, car wash, foor polish, drain cleaner and disinfectants for hospitals and mortuaries.
Shiripinda said, although the company is not yet very visible on major retail supermarkets, Kusi has made inroads in creating a strong market base in schools and hospitals where they supply toilet cleaners, mortuary disinfectants and industrial detergents.
The company sells their own products at their retail outlet in Harare and is looking at establishing a bigger supermarket chain to market its products for domestic consumption, while maintain the bulk supplies for schools and hospitals.
“We are not deterred by failing to get shelf space in big supermarkets, they say they already have big brands they are working with. As such, we will open our own supermarket to sell our products like we are already doing here,” he said in an interview.
“We are not stopping here in Harare, but looking at spreading across the country and become a huge manufacturer of chemicals in Zimbabwe and beyond.
“We believe people function better in a clean environment and we are motivated to create products that enhance cleanliness,” he said.
Kusi Chemical’s success story is already taking shape. The company is gearing up to open another branch in Bulawayo, thanks to huge business interest generated at the recently held Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF).
This was the company’s first exhibition at the ZITF and already proven fruitful for the budding enterprise.
“We exhibited under the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Enterprise Development. It was a learning experience and we generated a lot of interest and business from Bulawayo such that in June we are opening a new branch there,” said Shiripinda.
Like any other manufacturing company in the country, Kusi is battling foreign currency shortages to procure machinery to boost production.
Currently, the company is using manual based operations which affects production capacity and volumes.
The company produces an estimated 30 000 litres every month and this could more than triple with the right machinery.
“In the interim, we have set up a technical team building our own machine that can run faster, it is inefficient to produce manually.
“We are ready to purchase new machinery that can run 24/7 and boost production volumes, but the biggest challenge is accessing foreign currency,” said Shiripinda.
He added prospects for growth were bright, not only for Kusi Chemicals but the whole manufacturing industry, on the back of positive investor sentiment following a shift in the country’s leadership.
The new administration has emphasised on growing the economy by creating policies and conducive environment for business growth, as well as to attract foreign direct investment.
