Anthony Muthungu is the founder of TotoSci, a startup that produces USB cables for charging low powered devices.
He established the startup in 2020 and three years down the line, he has grown to become a key player in the supply of phone accessories in Kenya.
But how did the startup come about and what is Muthungu’s aspirations going forward? Here is his story as told by WoK.
Established a year earlier, TotoSci was in its first steps of manufacturing USB cables targeting the Kenyan market in 2021.
At the time, Muthungu worked with a semi-skilled staff of four who helped him go about his business in his small workshop.
“They had their skills but I also had to train them to do what I want them to achieve. On top of what they are bringing in, they are able to do what I want them to do,” he said in an interview.
Today, Muthungu has a fully-experienced team of engineers and sales executives handling the manufacturing of the USB cables.
“Here, you just come with a basic understanding of what you need to do, the rest we offer training here,” Muthungu said.
While starting off, Muthungu only worked with one molding machine and one testing machine but today, he has upgraded to state-of-the-art machinery.
This not only makes productions faster, but also allows him to customize products to meet the customers’ preferences.
These upgrades have enabled TotoSci to produce at least 2,000 cables per day, up from 200 when he was starting off.
“We can design our products just as you want; we can do any colour, any length, you want it engraved with your name or a logo, we can do anything,” Muthungu explained.
The process of making USB cables start with cable cutting and outer-stripping, before being passed down to a machine that will do the inner-stripping to expose the conductor.
The cable will then be passed down to a soldering machine where a connector, used for charging or transferring data, will be attached to the cable.
The cable will then be tested using a state-of-the-art machinery, before being molded and tested again and branded.
Muthungu is not only producing for the retail market but also top companies like Safaricom where he is the primary supplier of USB cables.
TotoSci also has a waste management policy that enables them to recycle plastic and electronic waste.
“We don’t have waste here, we reuse everything. We even recycle plastic waste from the community,” Muthungu explained.
