African Cotton Industrial Ltd
Mombasa, Kenya
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For nearly 40 years, African Cotton has been supplying Cotton Wool, Feminine Towels and Surgical Dressings to many countries both in Africa and overseas. Our regular customers include governments non-governmental agencies, international aid agencies, hospitals, clinics, chemists and the retail trade. With our high quality products, we have nurtured a range that exemplifies the traditions that longstanding experience brings quality product reliability and customer satisfaction. Our popular products are:
COTTON WOOL
TENDER CARE BRAND
MEDICOTT FEMININE TOWELS
TOILET PAPER
SERVIETTES
FACIAL TISSUE BOXES
POCKET TISSUES
KITCHEN TOWELS
SURGICAL RANGE GAUZE
DOVE Cotton Wool is the Regional Market leader with DOVE being the cotton wool of choice in hospitals throughout the East and Central African Region. As the first manufacturer of Feminine Towels in East Africa, African Cotton is a strong player with MEDICOTT Feminine Towels, conveniently available in Press On, Looped and Maternity packaging. To complement the personal hygiene line, the company has developed a specialization in Surgical Dressings that encompasses Gauze, Bandages and Gloves, both surgical and examination.
African Cotton believes in continuous investment in Kenya to build our economy. In the late 90's, US $250,000 was spent on the upgrading of the cotton wool division. A toilet tissue converting plant worth US $500,000 was installed in 2001 and 2002 saw further investment in a waste paper baling line worth US $125,000.
African Cotton Industry’s workforce in 2000 was 220 employees. To date we have a total team of 470, an impressive increase achieved during difficult economic times. African Cotton is committed to growth and will see yet further investments in our manufacturing division and product base. Our continuing investments prove African Cotton's commitment to the government stated goal of generating more jobs and wealth.
At African Cotton Industrial Ltd we aim to maintain our market leadership by listening to our customers and providing innovative solutions to their changing needs and requirements. We started our operationin 1954 in Mombasa by establishing the Absorbent Cotton Industries. In 1960, the name of the company changed to African Cotton Industries Today, we have over 450 employees and African Cotton Industrial is racing forward as the leading player in the cotton industry in East and Central Africa.
In 2000, as a result of restructuring and diversifying our product base, ACI looked at the possibility of converting Toilet Rolls. In October 2000, the machinery arrived and was installed in our Mombasa plant. We began operations of Tena toilet rolls in December 2001 and Tena became an instant success story. The enormous market response to a Kenyan made product, Tena instantly changed the face of the toilet tissue market of Kenya after over thirty years of virtual stagnation. It was a clear sign that the incumbent suppliers had forgot the consumer.
Tena is a Swahili word that means "again". It was anticipated that once one used a Tena product they would return again and again. "True to its name and expectations those who had used Tena always come back for more”, says the Sales and Marketing Executive, Sugu Anjarwalla. She adds that through research revealed that the consumer market was yeaning for an affordable, white, quality toilet paper - one that the common mwananchi could easily afford especially considering the economic status of the market.
In October 2002 a decision was made to relocate the Tena operations to Nairobi, the economic hub of the East & Central African region, production in our Mombasa Road premises near Jomo Kenyatta International Airport began by the end of October." today we employ over 450 persons in our Nairobi site, all involved in distribution & toilet paper operations.
