Equatorial Coca-Cola Bottling Company in Ghana is providing impeccable service to the community, while putting in place initiatives to develop the local skills and ensuring continuity for the future of the Company.
PASSION, EXCELLENCE, AND DIVERSITY
As part of a partnership between the Equatorial Coca-Cola Bottling Company (ECCBC) Group and the Government of Ghana, The Coca-Cola Bottling Company Ghana (TCCBCG) was created in 1997 with a core focus on people and a commitment to sustainable business growth.
In 2003, the Equatorial Coca-Cola Bottling Company acquired 100 percent ownership of the Company and since that point TCCBCG’s bottling plant has been situated at Spintex, Accra. Located there are two glass lines and two PET lines that produce 40 store keeping units (SKU) of non-alcoholic beverages.
“At present we produce and distribute our products across four categories,” explains Seth Adu-Baah, Managing Director of The Coca-Cola Bottling Company Ghana Limited. “Within these categories are some of the world’s most famous brands, such as Coke, Fanta, Sprite and Schweppes.
“Our four main depots are strategically located in Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi and Tamale, as well as 170 strategic customers (mini distribution centres) across the country that serve more than 100,000 retail outlets and contribute to provide approximately 102,300 jobs.”
With Seth Adu-Baah at the helm – as the first Ghanaian Managing Director of TCCBCG – the Company has made significant contributions to the business environment, to consumers and to the country as a whole.
Adu-Baah continues: “We pride ourselves on being a great employer, taking on more than 800 Ghanaians across the country and indirectly employing many others through outlets, sales points and opportunities for jobs across our value chain.
“The recent success seen at TCCBCG have been driven by its focus on people and commitment to sustainable business growth, as well as the resilient leadership demonstrated by the entire management team within the Company.”
In order to continue on with this success rate, the Company has put in place strategies and business process improvements with staff development at its core.
Adu-Baah adds: “We will continue to develop and maintain strategic business relationships with our customers and consumers, focusing on creating value for our mutual benefit at all levels.
“We have developed robust training plans and talent management initiatives that will enable us to address the developmental needs of our team, bridging capability gaps while supporting young talent with high potential for the future that ensures business continuity.
“Both our talent management programmes and trainings are specifically designed with a strong emphasis on on-the-job training, strengthening the skills of our employees in alignment with the strategic business plan.”
EXTENSIVE HISTORY
As a Company with such extensive history in the industry, TCCBCG works hard to ensure that it does not stray away from the values that have made it the great brand that it is today.
“When it comes to incorporating new products into our portfolio, we ensure that they remain true to our original brand identity,” affirms Adu-Baah. “For example, we have incorporated a new non-caloric product – Coca-Cola Zero Sugar – which enables us to reach our target consumers that are looking for the same great taste of regular Coca-Cola but without the sugar.
“We are serving the Ghanaian market to the best of our abilities, ensuring that our beverages are available to everyone and at a reasonable price, while also giving back to the communities that we proudly serve, investing in sustainability through our corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives.”
NURTURING TALENT
Due to the Company’s rich history, candidates for employment within TCCBCG will go through a stringent interview process that is based on their qualifications and work experience.
“Over time we have developed our training schemes to ensure that talent is nurtured and never neglected,” explains Adu-Baah. “We place a lot of emphasis on making sure that a greater number of the workforce are Ghanaian nationals, with a current 99.1 percent of our current workers being local.”
A large part of the Company’s HR strategy involves the development of local talent and high-potential employees into a talent pool that ensures complete continuity within the business.
“From the moment a new employee is welcomed into the TCCBCG family, we provide them with a planned induction and training programme,” states Adu-Baah. “Following on from the initial stages of employment, each member of the team is placed on a six-month probationary period, during which time they are working to a robust appraisal system which becomes bi-annual in order to encourage continuous improvement.
“Key employees are identified to go on our flagship management trainee and leadership programs, called The Hawks. Other leadership development trainings within the company and executive training programs in collaboration with top business schools are also done. These employees are placed on specific projects (in technical, quality and effective trade executions) at the end of their training. This facilitates the development of key skills and capabilities that enables them address specific issues for customers and the business thereby creating value.
“We pride ourselves on having some of the best trained manufacturing professionals in the industry, and combined with our long-standing reputation, we believe this puts us in a strong position against the competition.”
SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE
Over the years it has become increasingly important to TCCBCG to fully involve itself in CSR initiatives, as a human-centred company it is driven by a passion to positively impact both the community and the environment in order to make it more sustainable for generations to come.
“We hold ourselves socially responsibly for the millions of consumers that we serve by improving the quality of their lives, predominantly implemented through sustainable development initiatives,” continues Adu-Baah. “We direct our efforts and resources into areas such as education, health and wellbeing, economic female empowerment, youth in entrepreneurship, conservation of the natural environment and an increasing accessibility to potable water. We committed about US$2 million last year towards these initiatives.”
In pursuit of continued success with CSR initiatives, the Organisation has also positioned itself as a learning centre. It is there that local students are able to gain academic support, providing it for those that are seeking to acquire knowledge in the area of manufacturing and its related fields.
Adu-Baah continues: “Our weekly plant tours for schools, churches, non-governmental organisations and the public create the uncommon opportunity for patrons to obtain first-hand experience of our production processes, providing them with a better appreciation of the effort and precision that goes into the full process.
“We also offer internship opportunities for students that intend to obtain practical knowledge, supporting the education they have already received in the classroom.
“We have also activated a reading project that will see us move from school to school, encouraging reading with students, which we have been able to do with thanks to the donation of reading materials prescribed by the Ghana Education Service. As a Company we recognise that we still have a long way to go when it comes to improving the quality of life of the people we serve, but our commitment to implementing this initiative in other parts of the sub-region will not become weak.”
CORPORATE CULTURE
With such an extensive history of success in the industry, The Coca-Cola Bottling Company Ghana have been the proud recipients of numerous rewards. The Ghana Manufacturing awards provided the Company with Bottling Manufacturing Company of the year in 2016 and 2017 and Beverage Manufacturing Company of the year in the same years.
The Company has also taken home awards for Manufacturing Award of the Year, Outstanding Customer Award and the Platinum Award from the Ashanti Business Excellence Awards.
“As we are customer-centric and have a unique brand, we pay close attention to the needs of our consumers and swiftly respond to their concerns,” Adu-Baah describes. “We have provided our consumers with six key pack sizes that range from 20 centilitres to two litres, enhancing the product availability and furthermore presenting the consumer with extensive choices.”
The corporate culture at TCCBCG is made to achieve sustainability through diversity and leadership in products, packaging and pricing, while also encouraging passion, excellence and accountability for its people.
“We hope to continue on as the preferred choice of consumers in the market, and subsequently it is important to us at Coca-Cola to ensure that our products are available everywhere that they might be craved,” concludes Adu-Baah. “We desire to create value for our stakeholders, including shareholders, while giving back to the communities that have supported us for many years to come.”
