P&G SA invests in local Always manufacturing plant

Ribbon cutting to officially commission the new Always manufacturing facility in Kempton Park.

The investment in the Kempton Park manufacturing site also includes upgrades to P&G’s Pampers production facilities. The upgraded facility is a zero-waste-to-landfill site with the latest energy-saving initiatives, meaning that even with the additional manufacturing demand of a new product line, energy consumption has not increased. This

Nomalungelo Gina, Deputy Minister: Department of Trade and Industry, attended the official commissioning of the new manufacturing facility on Friday, 1 November.

Contributing to job creation

P&G’s presence in South Africa creates over 4,000 direct and indirect jobs throughout its value chain. According to the company, the latest investment has increased employment at the site by 30% with the attendant value creation through the entire production and distribution chain.

Vilo Trska, P&G vice president, Southern Africa says, “The commissioning of the new manufacturing facility represents P&G’s dedication to the development of, and investment in, South Africa and Africa as a whole, responding to the growing needs of our consumers. This supports the Government’s National Development Plan objectives relating to job creation and President Cyril Ramaphosa’s quest to promote investment into South Africa.”

Yunus Hoosen (DTI), Rashmee Ragaven (Invest SA), Vilo Trska (P&G vice president), Nomalungelo Gina (DTI), Sadick Jaffer (DTI) and Markus van Gumpel (P&G manufacturing plant leader).

“From material selection to product development and ultimately manufacturing, we follow rigorous, internationally recognised standards for safety and quality in our processes, to earn the trust of the millions of South Africans who choose the Always brand. Local manufacturing increases our flexibility, improves speed of distribution, empowers more choice, and enables responsiveness to evolving local market trends,” adds Trska.

Needs of girls and women

Trska also highlighted P&G’s commitment to gender equality: “We are committed to addressing the needs of women and girls in South Africa and Africa, through our products, our operations and our social programmes. Forty percent of our managers at this plant are female. Our partnership with WEConnect International upskills women-owned businesses and integrates them into the company’s supply chain, and we have committed to tripling our spend with women-owned businesses.

"Over the next 5 years, we will deliver puberty education to over 1.5 million girls in South Africa, and our Always Keeping Girls in School programme complements this with the provision of free Always sanitary pads to another 13,000 girls every year.”

“As a company and through our brands, we want to be a force for good, to contribute to the long-term prosperity of this country, and help South Africans to live their best lives. That’s what this investment is all about,” concludes Trska.