A local steel manufacturer Jumbo Steel Mills has opened its Ksh.2 billion plant in Kisumu for the manufacturing of new mattresses and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) water tanks for both local and international use.
The Mombasa-based Jumbo Steel Mills opened the plant over the weekend, an investment that targets to create over 600 jobs for locals.
The plant which sits on 27 acres has been installed with state-of-the-art machinery running on 100 percent 700kw solar power.
Jumbo Steel Mills Managing Director Harsh Patel said the facility located at Korowe along the Kisumu-Kericho road will produce Ndovu Tanks and Ndovu Mattresses for the local and regional market.
The company, he said, will produce Mattresses of various kinds among them pocket spring mattresses, Bonnet Spring mattresses and the traditional mattresses used in schools.
“We have also invested in a PVC water tank manufacturing facility which will produce storage tanks ranging from 250 Liters to 12,000 Liters,” he said.
The multi-billion investments, he said, was informed by the strategic location of Kisumu city with the plant expected to serve the western region and neighboring countries of Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
“Additionally, the government has revamped the port and the rail structures which allows for the flow of goods within the country efficiently. The skilled labor within Kisumu County is easily available and I am proud to announce that we built our new facility using experts and engineers from within the county,” he said.
Isuzu East Africa (EA) handed over 82 tracks purchased by the firm at a cost of Ksh.400 million to support in logistics.
“Logistics is an integral part of our business because of the timely deliveries of our products to our customers. We were keen to work with a reliable automotive partner to provide suitable vehicles that would meet this requirement,” said Harsh.
Jumbo Steel Mills has installed a 700 KW solar power system to help reduce electricity costs associated with the energy-intensive steel sector.
The factory will make use of the exiting Metre Gauge Railway (MGR) to distribute its products within the country and other neighbouring countries.
