• Login
    • Join
  • Subscribe Free
    • Magazine
    • eNewsletter
    Checkout
    • Magazine
    • News
    • Exclusives
    • Applications
    • Technology
    • Market
    • Other
    • Top 40
    • Buyers Guide
    • Hygiene Directory
    • More
  • Magazine
  • News
  • Exclusives
  • Applications
  • Technology
  • Market
  • Other
  • Top 40
  • Buyers Guide
  • Hygiene Directory
  • Current / Back Issues
    Features
    Editorial
    Columns
    Digital Edition
    Southeast Asia Edition
    eNewsletter Archive
    Editorial Guidelines
    Subscribe Now
    Advertise Now
    Top Features
    A Conversation with the Responsible Flushing Alliance

    Nice-Pak Meets Consumer Demands

    Home Care Wipes: Sustainability in Sharper Focus as Cleaning Frenzy Simmers Following Pandemic

    Face Masks in Asia

    Kingsafe’s Growth Path
    Company Cameo
    Financial News
    Machinery Equipment
    New Products
    Nonwovens News
    Patent Review
    People in the News
    Supplier News
    Top News
    Live From Shows
    Top News
    Honest Company Plans IPO

    Asia Wipes Summit Held Successfully in Shanghai

    Precision Textiles Offers Biodegradable Medical Fabric

    Northshore Launches Megamax Briefs in New Colors

    Metrex Launches CaviWipe 2.0 Surface Disinfectant Wipes
    Nonwovens Insights
    Online Exclusives
    Absorbent Core
    Adult Incontinence
    Antimicrobials
    Apparel
    Automotive and Transportation
    Chemicals / Adhesives
    Construction
    Contract Services
    Diaper, Baby
    Electronics
    Feminine Hygiene
    Fibers
    Filtration
    Flame Retardance
    Geotextile / Agrotextile
    Home Products
    Hygiene Film/Components
    Industrial / Institutional
    Inspection / Quality Control
    Machinery and Equipment
    Medical
    Wipes

    Honest Company Plans IPO

    Asia Wipes Summit Held Successfully in Shanghai

    Precision Textiles Offers Biodegradable Medical Fabric

    Northshore Launches Megamax Briefs in New Colors

    Metrex Launches CaviWipe 2.0 Surface Disinfectant Wipes
    Air Through Bonding
    Airlaid
    Carded/Carding
    Chemical Bonded
    Composite
    Meltblown
    Needlepunch
    Nanotechnology
    Spunbond
    Spunlace
    Thermal Bonded
    Wetlaid

    Mondi Starts Face Mask Production in Germany

    Meltblown—Nonwovens' Golden Fleece

    Armbrust Expands Product Line Up

    Spotlight on Spunlace

    Wolf Starts Up Meltblown Line
    China
    Eastern Europe/Russia
    India
    Middle East/North Africa
    North America
    Pacific Rim
    South/Central America
    Turkey
    Western Europe

    ANEX+SINCE to be Held in July

    Kingsafe’s Growth Path

    Southeast Asia Nonwoven Capacity and Demand Development

    Jofo Focuses on Expansion

    Supreme Nonwoven Group
    Associations
    Contracts / Awards
    Education
    Facilities / Capacity
    Green / Sustainability
    Legal / Regulatory
    Market Data
    Mergers and Acquisitions
    Product Improvement / Innovation
    R&D/Basic Research
    Shows / Events

    Asia Wipes Summit Held Successfully in Shanghai

    European Nonwovens Production Exceeds 3 Million Tons

    INDEX Postponed to October

    ANEX+SINCE to be Held in July

    Bondex Adds Needlepunch Line in SC
    Chart
    Companies
    All Companies
    Categories
    Company Profiles
    Add New Company
    International Buyers Guide Companies
    Fagus GreCon, Inc

    WEIMA America, Inc.

    Dukane

    Schott & Meissner Maschinen- und Anlagenbau GmbH

    Shemesh Automation
    Brands
    Brand Owners
    • Magazine
      • Current / Back Issues
      • Features
      • Editorial
      • Columns
      • Digital Edition
      • Southeast Asia Edition
      • eNewsletter Archive
      • Editorial Guidelines
      • Subscribe Now
      • Advertise Now
    • Breaking News
    • Buyers Guide
      • All Companies
      • Categories
      • Company Profiles
      • Add Your Company
    • Applications
      • Absorbent Core
      • Adult Incontinence
      • Antimicrobials
      • Apparel
      • Automotive and Transportation
      • Chemicals / Adhesives
      • Construction
      • Contract Services
      • Diaper, Baby
      • Electronics
      • Feminine Hygiene
      • Fibers
      • Filtration
      • Flame Retardance
      • Geotextile / Agrotextile
      • Home Products
      • Hygiene Film/Components
      • Industrial / Institutional
      • Inspection / Quality Control
      • Machinery and Equipment
      • Medical
      • Wipes
    • Technology
      • Air Through Bonding
      • Airlaid
      • Carded/Carding
      • Chemical Bonded
      • Composite
      • Meltblown
      • Needlepunch
      • Nanotechnology
      • Spunbond
      • Spunlace
      • Thermal Bonded
      • Wetlaid
    • Market
      • China
      • Eastern Europe/Russia
      • India
      • Middle East/North Africa
      • North America
      • Pacific Rim
      • South/Central America
      • Turkey
      • Western Europe
    • Other
      • Associations
      • Contracts / Awards
      • Education
      • Facilities / Capacity
      • Green / Sustainability
      • Legal / Regulatory
      • Market Data
      • Mergers and Acquisitions
      • Product Improvement / Innovation
      • R&D/Basic Research
      • Shows / Events
    • Top 40 Companies
      • Chart
      • Companies
    • Online Exclusives
    • Hygiene Directory
      • Brands
      • Brand Owners
    • Slideshows
    • Experts Opinions
    • Videos
    • Podcasts
    • Infographics
    • Whitepapers
    • Jobs
    • Events
      • Industry Events
      • Live From Show Events
      • Webinars
      • Live From Asian Connections
    • Resources
      • Suppliers Gallery
      • Literature Showcase
      • Web Showcase
      • Home Page Showcase
    • About Us
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Advertise With Us
      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms of Use
    Company Cameo

    TKBD Medical Supplies

    ...

    TKBD Medical Supplies
    Related CONTENT
    • NXTNano Adding Three Lines
    • Aplix Expands in France
    • Nice-Pak Meets Consumer Demands
    • What You’re Reading on Nonwovens-Industry.com
    • European Nonwovens Production Exceeds 3 Million Tons
    12.11.20
    Kilinto Industrial Park, Ethiopia
    Tel. +251911512645
    elias@tkbdaddis.com
    www.linkedin.com/company/tkbd-medical-supplies/



    An entrepreneurial couple in Ethiopia is doing their part to help slow the spread of Covid-19 in their community through a new business venture—TKBD Medical Supplies. Over the last two decades, Elias Ketema, a captain and a pilot instructor with Ethiopian Airlines, and his wife Tseday have built three successful businesses that together employ roughly 2000 people—a chain of premium coffee shops, three five-star Italian restaurants and an award-winning dairy business.

    When Covid-19 hit and lockdowns began, like most businesses they were greatly impacted, with business dropping as low as 85% below their normal operations. Face masks, recommended as one of the key solutions to help keep people safe during the pandemic, were in dire short supply. “As business people, we felt compelled to come up with a solution,” recalls Captain Ketema. “Local manufacturing of face masks was a strong business case to explore.”

    TKBD placed an order for its first mask machine, and while they were looking for suppliers of meltblown nonwovens, they realized the material was very expensive and also in short supply. “This short supply spearheaded a great opportunity to manufacture and sell meltblown to meet our business needs and to supply other local and regional customers,” he says.

    The fact that there was very little production of meltblown on the continent, especially in East Africa, also made the investment in a new line an attractive business opportunity.

    TKBD worked with Handas Consulting of South Africa, which provided a feasibility study for manufacturing meltblown locally. “The study proved the regional need for the material,” Captain Ketema explains. “We also quickly realized that the meltblown project came with significantly more complexity than the face masks business, hence we quickly got a project team of experts together and the project is progressing very well and we are very much on target with our plans for the meltblown line.”

    TKBD’s project lead, Excelsior, has worked with the Ministry of Health in Ethiopia, and more recently on projects around personal protective equipment (PPE). The business is located in Kilinto Industrial Park, where several global pharmaceutical companies are also located.

    In mid-September, TKBD started rolling out its first batch of face masks from the production line, which has a capacity of 100 masks per hour. The company focuses on the development of surgical masks, which are being used by the general public, and are comprised of spunbond outer layers with inner meltblown layers. The masks meet the Ethiopian Food and Drug Administration standards, which are harmonized with the European and American standards. 

    Another goal for TKBD is to make sure that it can offer protection for medical frontline workers. For that reason it is ensuring that the new meltblown machine it is installing can meet the N95 standards as legislated in Ethiopia, Europe and the U.S. “We want to be a significant player in the face mask and meltblown space in Ethiopia and the rest of the African continent,” Captain Ketema states. “We have ambitions to export beyond the African continent. For that reason we are very particular about our selection of suppliers for meltblown currently and the meltblown equipment suppliers that we are discussing with. We know that quality is critical and central to the industry that we are in and we intend to respect those standards.”

    Once the meltblown line comes onstream, TKBD will consume some of the production internally, but it also plans to supply the local market. Captain Ketema says the local market on its own is quite significant. “Many new face mask manufacturers have emerged in the last eight to 10 months, and we certainly plan to service them and save them and the country as a whole on lead times, raw material cost and foreign currency.”

    TKBD also has plans to export the material within Africa, including North Africa. And because its manufacturing standards will meet European and U.S. standards, it is also preparing to export globally.

    TKBD expects its first meltblown line to be operational by the first quarter of 2021.
    Suggested For You
    NXTNano Adding Three Lines NXTNano Adding Three Lines
    Aplix Expands in France Aplix Expands in France
    Nice-Pak Meets Consumer Demands Nice-Pak Meets Consumer Demands
    What You’re Reading on Nonwovens-Industry.com What You’re Reading on Nonwovens-Industry.com
    European Nonwovens Production Exceeds 3 Million Tons European Nonwovens Production Exceeds 3 Million Tons
    Chongqing Double Elephant to Install Four Needlepunch Lines Chongqing Double Elephant to Install Four Needlepunch Lines
    Freudenberg Performance Materials Launches Online Shop for Apparel Industry Freudenberg Performance Materials Launches Online Shop for Apparel Industry
    Berry Global to Add Spunlace Line in Europe Berry Global to Add Spunlace Line in Europe
    Ettore Paolini Named VP of Service at Andritz Nonwoven, GM of Andritz Diatec Ettore Paolini Named VP of Service at Andritz Nonwoven, GM of Andritz Diatec
    Fibertex Nonwovens to Expand U.S. Site Fibertex Nonwovens to Expand U.S. Site
    Mondi Starts Face Mask Production in Germany Mondi Starts Face Mask Production in Germany
    ANEX+SINCE to be Held in July ANEX+SINCE to be Held in July
    A New Solution for Defense Against Infectious Agents A New Solution for Defense Against Infectious Agents
    Puerko to Add Needlepunch Capacity in Poland Puerko to Add Needlepunch Capacity in Poland
    Hangzhou Fengshang Industrial Co., Ltd Hangzhou Fengshang Industrial Co., Ltd

    Related Company Cameo

    • India
      Supreme Nonwoven Group

      Supreme Nonwoven Group

      ...
      Tara Olivo, associate editor 03.04.21

    • Adult Incontinence | Diaper, Baby | Feminine Hygiene
      Zarrin Roya

      Zarrin Roya

      ...
      02.04.21

    • NuTex Concepts

      NuTex Concepts

      ...
      01.06.21


    • Novatis Group

      Novatis Group

      ...
      11.12.20

    • Adult Incontinence | Feminine Hygiene
      TSL

      TSL

      ...
      10.08.20

    • Lidersan / Altunkaya Group

      Lidersan / Altunkaya Group

      ...
      09.11.20


    • Fine Hygienic Holding

      Fine Hygienic Holding

      ...
      08.06.20

    • Eastern Europe/Russia | Wipes
      Biosphere

      Biosphere

      ...
      07.09.20

    • Rusvata

      Rusvata

      ...
      06.10.20


    • Pacific Rim
      Ace Pack Pacific

      Ace Pack Pacific

      ...
      05.05.20

    • SOFTTECH

      SOFTTECH

      ...
      04.03.20

    • Texfelt

      Texfelt

      ...
      03.05.20


    • SpillTech

      SpillTech

      ...
      02.07.20

    • Hangzhou Nbond Nonwovens

      Hangzhou Nbond Nonwovens

      ...
      01.03.20

    • Altex Gronauer Filz GmbH & Co. KG

      Altex Gronauer Filz GmbH & Co. KG

      ...
      12.10.19

    Trending
    • Precision Textiles Offers Biodegradable Medical Fabric
    • Honest Company Plans IPO
    • NXTNano Adding Three Lines
    • Tufropes Launches Inherently Antibacterial And Antimicrobial Spunbond
    • U.S. Nonwovens Rebrands As Radienz Living
    Breaking News
    • Aries Face Masks Meet ASTM Standards
    • Tufropes Launches Inherently Antibacterial and Antimicrobial Spunbond
    • NXTNano Adding Three Lines
    • Honest Company Plans IPO
    • Asia Wipes Summit Held Successfully in Shanghai
    View Breaking News >
    CURRENT ISSUE

    Household and Personal Care Wipes Spring 2021

    • A Conversation with the Responsible Flushing Alliance
    • Nice-Pak Meets Consumer Demands
    • Wipes Manufacturers Meet Demand Surge
    • Home Care Wipes: Sustainability in Sharper Focus as Cleaning Frenzy Simmers Following Pandemic
    • View More >



    Cookies help us to provide you with an excellent service. By using our website, you declare yourself in agreement with our use of cookies.
    You can obtain detailed information about the use of cookies on our website by clicking on "More information”.

    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms And Conditions
    • Contact Us

    follow us

    Subscribe
    Nutraceuticals World

    Latest Breaking News From Nutraceuticals World

    4-week Fish Oil Regimen Showed Significant Muscular Damage Protection in Recent Study
    Review Covers Role of Vitamin K2 in the ‘Calcium Paradox’
    KD Pharma Acquires Rohner AG Manufacturing Assets
    Coatings World

    Latest Breaking News From Coatings World

    Jebsen & Jessen, Innospec Sign Distribution Agreement
    Sika Expands Production Capacity in Qatar
    Sto Corp. ISO Certifications Extended
    Medical Product Outsourcing

    Latest Breaking News From Medical Product Outsourcing

    MICRO Expands with New Facility in Costa Rica
    DiaSorin to Buy Luminex for $1.8B
    Endologix Acquires PQ Bypass
    Contract Pharma

    Latest Breaking News From Contract Pharma

    Catalent Biologics Completes Madison Expansion
    Lonza Expands PyroTec PRO for Endotoxin Testing
    FDA Accepts Airway Therapeutics’ IND for COVID Treatment
    Beauty Packaging

    Latest Breaking News From Beauty Packaging

    Revieve Launches Skin Coach
    Carlyle Group Acquires Majority Stake in Beautycounter
    The Honest Co. Files for an Initial Public Offering
    Happi

    Latest Breaking News From Happi

    Babor Professional Skin Care Names McCaffrey as Vice President of Sales
    Diamond Chemical Appoints Technical Service Representative
    Carlyle To Acquire Majority Stake in Beautycounter
    Ink World

    Latest Breaking News From Ink World

    Kumon North America Adds Speedmaster XL 106 from Heidelberg
    SE-DA Invests in Kornit Presto S
    Iron Oxide Pigments Market to Register 4.7% CAGR from 2021 to 2028: GVR
    Label & Narrow Web

    Latest Breaking News From Label & Narrow Web

    Enprom helps converter respond to flexible packaging needs
    anytron assists medical device company with labeling
    Dantex debuts new capabilities with white ink opacity
    Nonwovens Industry

    Latest Breaking News From Nonwovens Industry

    Aries Face Masks Meet ASTM Standards
    Tufropes Launches Inherently Antibacterial and Antimicrobial Spunbond
    NXTNano Adding Three Lines
    Orthopedic Design & Technology

    Latest Breaking News From Orthopedic Design & Technology

    GreenBone Ortho Closes 10 Million Euros Series B Funding Round
    SynerFuse, Cirtec Medical Partner to Develop Back Pain Management Device
    New Biosealant Could Stabilize Cartilage, Boost Healing After Injury
    Printed Electronics Now

    Latest Breaking News From Printed Electronics Now

    Virtual ASMC 2021 Spotlights Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Excellence
    First Solar Series 6 CuRe has Industry’s Lowest Warranted Degradation Rate
    SEMI: 2020 Global Semiconductor Equipment Sales Surge 19% to Industry Record $71.2 Billion

    Copyright © 2021 Rodman Media. All rights reserved. Use of this constitutes acceptance of our privacy policy The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Rodman Media.

    AD BLOCKER DETECTED

    Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors.
    Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker.


    FREE SUBSCRIPTION Already a subscriber? Login