A Filipino manufacturer that supplied hospitals and supermarkets with disinfectants during the pandemic is now challenging the dominance of multinational companies in the dishwashing liquid market.
Kohl Industries Corp., a Pasig City-based producer of personal care and household products, wants to offer Filipino consumers more affordable options, said company president Aton Atilano.
“We want to break the dominance of multinationals in our domestic market,” Atilano, a former investment banker, said in an interview. “They control a large share of the market.”
Atilano named his company after Helmut Kohl, the first chancellor of reunified Germany. He teamed up with former senator and basketball legend Robert Jaworski in the 1990s to produce isopropyl and ethyl alcohol under the Doctor J brand. He then established Kohl Industries in 2022.
The company, which employs about 300 workers, produces brands such as Doctor J, Oramed, Bactigel and Mighty Mom antibacterial dishwashing liquid. It also manufactures antiseptics, disinfectants, household cleaning agents, medical devices, diagnostics, cosmetics and personal care items.
Kohl Industries is a Food and Drug Administration-certified Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) facility. CGMP ensures proper design, monitoring, and control of manufacturing processes.
During the pandemic, the company supplied hygiene products to hospitals to protect patients and staff. As the market for antiseptic products stabilizes, Kohl Industries is promoting its Mighty Mom dishwashing liquid to offer Filipinos a more affordable option amid rising inflation.
“Our goal is to let the market know that there are existing products that can compete with the leading dishwashing liquid brands sold at very high prices,” Atilano said. “We offer an alternative, but it doesn’t mean it’s of lower quality. I deliberately priced it lower because I also want to help ordinary people.”
“Our motto is ‘clean more for less money,’” he said, referring to Mighty Mom. The product is now available in most supermarket chains.
Atilano said Mighty Mom aims to triple its market share from 2 percent to 6 percent within five years. The leading brand, he said, still controls over 70 percent of the market despite the presence of high-quality products from Filipino companies.
Kohl Industries employs a research and development team that continuously develops products for the Philippine market.
The company also has original design manufacturer (ODM) and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) capabilities, catering to international companies.
Its services include product conceptualization, customized formulation, packaging sourcing, design and quality testing.