Bidco CEO Thiagarajan Ramamurthy (in glasses) giving journalists a tour during the launch of new Sh2 billion detergent plant in Thika on Friday. [Photo/ theslopes.co.ke]
Thika based cooking oil and detergents manufacturer Bidco Africa has launched a new product line aimed at expanding its detergent market share.Bidco CEO Thiagarajan Ramamurthy has said the new plant is designed to meet a growing demand for powdered detergent across the region and will initially be producing 3, 000 tons of detergents per month.“The investment in this new product line is part of the Sh200 billion expansion plan which will see the company enter into new product categories as it seeks to grow its revenue to the billion dollar mark,” said Ramamurthy on Friday when he launched the line.He noted that detergent is a crucial product in many Kenyan homes, adding that it is the company's believe that it will be able to compete and offer fantastic value to the consumers.“We are coming up with what the customer wants, in their preferred qualities and quantities and that is what we are offering,” he added.The CEO downplayed the tense political climate in the country, saying the company cannot be held back in its growth plan just because 'politicians cannot agree on small issues'.Ramamurthy said they only closed on August 8 to allow employees to go and vote, adding that the company cannot close down or scale down its production while Kenyans require their products daily.The new line is projected to add about Sh3 billion to the company's revenue while creating hundreds of job opportunities.