Reckitt Benckiser celebrates 60 years in Pakistan

Unveils plans for major investment in port city.

Reckitt Benckiser Pakistan (RB Pakistan) is celebrating over 60 successful years in the country.  On the occasion, the company has unveiled plans for another major investment in the form of a new manufacturing facility in Karachi, according to a press statement. 

Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony of the new factory, Salvatore Caizzone, executive vice president of the Reckitt Benckiser Group, said: “Our company’s vision is a world where people are healthier and live better. This investment decision reaffirms our commitment to providing Pakistani consumers healthier lives and happier homes.”

Mr Caizzone said RB Pakistan is going to set up a manufacturing facility in Karachi, regardless of the persistent energy crisis in the country.

“We expect that this factory will create more jobs and will further cement RB Pakistan’s standing as a manufacturing and exporting hub within the RB world,” Caizzone said.

Reckitt Benckiser’s existing Mauripur plant already exports products to a number of countries in the Middle East, Far East, Africa, Latin America, the European Union and Australia.

“We have a very positive outlook for the country and Pakistan remains a very important market for RB.  Pakistan is the world’s sixth-largest nation, has a growing population that is very young, and a middle class that is visibly emerging and has more spending power today than it did five years ago,” Caizzone commented.

He acknowledged that Pakistanis are passionate, driven and talented individuals who are able to outperform in any challenging environment. Therefore, eight to 10 employees of RB Pakistan are exported to various markets globally.

RB Pakistan is a consumer goods company engaged in the manufacturing and marketing of leading brands like Dettol, Mortein, Veet, Harpic, Strepsils, Gaviscon, Cherry Blossom, Disprin and Durex. It is a subsidiary of the Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc, a global consumer goods leader in health, hygiene and home products, headquartered in the UK and with operations in over 60 countries.

Every year RB contributes over Rs1.7 billion to the exchequer in the form of customs duties, sales taxes, federal excise duties and other related taxes.  It has a factory in Karachi and regional offices across Pakistan and provides employment to about 5,000 families via its large sales and distribution network.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 24^th, 2013.

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