Foreign exchange, instability, rising inflation and operating environment challenges are taking a toll on the manufacturing sector, British manufacturer of personal healthcare products and consumer goods, PZ Cussons Plc said at the weekend.
Its human resources, commercial category Brand, Africa for PZ Cussons, Adetutu Oriewo, stated this in an exclusive interview with The Nation on the side of activities to commemorate the 30th anniversary of its Morning Fresh in the country.
She however said the challenges, especially the unexpected outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic was a blessing in disguise as it compelled the management to go back to the drawing board to redesign strategies to enhance better consumer goods offering as consumers are the heart of the brand.
“Our challenges are not different from what other manufacturers of consumer goods have experienced in terms of cost, currency, forex and economic situation. What we do is to be proactive and plan ahead.
“It is not about our product, it is about the consumer, it is about what our consumer wants and needs. If the consumer says I need a bottle, can you do XYZ to make my dishwashing better?
“We will go back to our friends in the factory to say, this is what the consumer needs; how can we deliver it to them? So, these are the things that have kept us; we are putting consumers in the center of what we do.
“About the future of PZ, the brand is here to stay, we have so much exciting stuff in our back pocket for consumers; we keep the consumers at the heart of everything that we do.
“The family is the smallest unit of the society and like we say, we are there to soften the tough jobs of everyday issues. If you can only soften the top jobs that people go back at home impacts their wellbeing and wellness, and of course, a more mentally stable person will be a better contributor to the society at large.
“So it starts from the home. And we have the home keepers who are the ones that cater for the cleaning of the home, and we make that tough job and make it simpler,” Oriewo said.
Oriewo said the challenges made management go back to the drawing board to enhance better consumer consumption as consumers were the heart of the brand.
Thenation