KUWAIT CITY: Many renowned American and European clothing lines and stores source their apparel products globally, attracted by the lower operating costs that countries such as Bangladesh, China and Vietnam offer.
One company based at Baba Dogo’s Balaji Export Processing Zone (EPZ) in Nairobi has also made its name as a good source of high-quality ‘Made in Kenya’ products if the list of its clientele is anything to go by.
United Aryan (EPZ) Limited makes a wide range of products including denims, leggings, trousers, skirts, shorts, fleeces, knit tops, shirts, robes and pajamas.
The firm, which is owned by Dubai-based Pankaj Bedi, lists US-based stores such as JC Penney Company, Walmart, Kohl’s, Macy’s, H&M and Sears as some of its customers.
It also serves clients in Kuwait, Bahrain Morocco and Mauritius. About 10 per cent of its products are sold locally. Mr Bedi, who also serves as United Aryan chairman, was in the country recently to inspect his business, which he says makes between Sh5 billion and Sh7 billion annually in revenues.
“Aryan trains all employees in a specific task along the value addition chain, allowing them to specialise on certain products which they are then able to manufacture to perfection,” he told Enterprise.
The company started out 15 years ago with one unit of 17 lines. At the moment, United Aryan has four units made up of 64 lines and 3,900 individual machines with the capacity to produce and wash more than 80,000 pieces of attire on a daily basis.
To churn out such large number of items, a factory needs a significant number of workers. And United Aryan has just that the company has employed about 10,000 workers to run the business, 70 per cent of whom are women.
“We do not discriminate but want young energetic people ready to meet our targets for a fair remuneration,” says Mr Bedi, adding that most of the female employees are breadwinners for their families and are therefore highly dedicated.
He reckons that the country’s clothes and apparel industry could create employment for even more skilled Kenyans if the government to draws up a clear policy in this key manufacturing sector.
