Unilever commissioned the new production line at its Maydon Wharf facility in Durban on 2 October, following an investment of approximately $6 million.
The expansion is expected to increase the factory’s contribution from about 60% of the company’s worldwide petroleum-jelly supply to 80%, placing a larger share of the household product’s manufacturing in South Africa.
The investment adds a fourth Vaseline Petroleum Jelly packing line, supported by a new process plant and additional bulk storage. It expands an existing manufacturing operation rather than establishing a new factory.
The scale is significant beyond the investment itself. A single African facility would account for roughly four-fifths of Unilever’s global supply of the product, although that percentage does not cover the brand’s wider range of lotions and other skincare products.
According to Moneyweb’s 5 October report, the expanded operation will raise Durban’s contribution to global supply. Stefan Cloete, Unilever Southern Africa’s chief executive, described the facility as central to the company’s international manufacturing network.
“Maydon Wharf represents the very best of Unilever’s heritage, capability and ambition,” he said.
An old brand finds new demand
The expansion comes as Unilever seeks to turn Vaseline’s longstanding household recognition into faster growth through product development and digital marketing.
At a June investor conference, Unilever chief executive Fernando Fernandez said Vaseline had recorded 12% volume growth over the preceding three years. The figure concerns the broader brand, rather than output from the Durban factory alone.
Part of that momentum comes from finding new commercial uses for a familiar product. Through its Vaseline Verified campaign, the company’s scientists tested beauty and lifestyle tips shared by consumers online, then used validated ideas to develop products and partnerships.
Unilever subsequently introduced a primer and highlighter jelly and an eyebrow-taming product through TikTok Shop in Thailand. The company said the products sold out within minutes, with a further release also selling out in April.
The strategy illustrates how an established brand can reach younger customers without abandoning its core product. Unilever says the campaign helped Vaseline achieve double-digit growth, although it has not disclosed how much of that demand will be supplied by the expanded Durban operation.
From Sunlight soap to global skincare supply
Maydon Wharf’s international role has developed over more than a century.
Established in 1912, the facility originally manufactured Sunlight bar soap. It now produces several categories of household and personal-care products, with annual output of approximately 139,000 tonnes across more than 20 production lines. That total covers the factory’s combined products, rather than Vaseline alone.
Its position beside the Port of Durban connects the manufacturing operation to export infrastructure, giving the site access to markets across Africa and further abroad. The expansion therefore adds processing and packing capacity to an established production and distribution network.
Manufacturing locally, supplying internationally
The project also sits within Unilever’s broader localisation programme in South Africa.
The company says approximately 95% of its products sold in South Africa are manufactured locally, while local sourcing of materials rose from 40% in 2019 to 80% in 2025. Those figures describe its South African business, not its worldwide manufacturing footprint.
For African manufacturing, the important feature is the factory’s role beyond its domestic market, Durban is supplying a substantial share of a global consumer product rather than producing solely for local shoppers.
The expanded line has been commissioned, but the reports do not specify when the projected 80% supply share will be reached. They also do not disclose additional export earnings or a separate number of permanent jobs created by the investment.
Source: africa.businessinsider.com
