Page 106 - KZN Top Business Portfolio 2018
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CONSTANTIA AFRIPACK
Chairman:
Arnold Vermaak
www.cflex.com
THE PREFERRED FLEXIBLE PACKAGING Within Constantia Afripack There Are Four Strategic
PARTNER building blocks:
Focus
Constantia, the world’s fourth largest flexible
packaging company acquired Afripack, South Africa’s Constantia Afripack’s activities are clearly defined as
prominent flexible packing company in 2015. Constantia’s flexible packaging for sub-Sahara Africa – be
global presence and flexible packaging expertise makes it industrial flexibles (sacks and extrusion coated
them the perfect owner for us according to Constantia papers) or consumer flexibles (FMCG packaging and
Afripack Chairman, Arnold Vermaak. pouch). The company is structured around two focused
business units – Constantia Afripack Industrial (with
From humble beginnings in 1933 as a producer of
cement sacks, the company now has four production plants in Durban and Brits) and Constantia Afripack
sites in South Africa, all of which are clearly focused on Flexibles (with plants in Durban and Cape Town).
a specific market segment within flexible packaging. The focus on clearly identified market niches requires
“Afripack was an attractive acquisition for a the development of deep seated customer and market
global company,” commented Vermaak. A current knowledge and then delivering sustainably superior
worldwide trend is in flexible packaging solutions products and services to customers. Currently, key
rather than rigid packaging. The global trends driving accounts include Unilever, Mondelez, Nestle, Sephaku,
demand for flexible packaging are: PPC and Intercement.
Urbanisation, which includes a trend to small Technology
families driven by convenience Becoming the supplier of choice in Africa to a
Emerging middle class multinational customer requires significant capability.
The desire for premium lifestyle products Operational capability is built on a foundation of
Health considerations and the needs of an world class technology and systems. Constantia
ageing society
Environmental impact including Afripack has invested nearly R400m in state of the
art technology in all of its business units typically
sustainability, reduction of material thickness and
a smaller carbon footprint in production resulting in the most advanced plant infrastructure in
South Africa.
An example of this approach is Constantia
Afripack Flexibles in Durban where aggressive
investment in best of breed printers (flexographic
and gravure), laminators and slitters have resulted in
Africa’s most modern consumer flexible plant.
People
“Creating a customer and performance orientated
people culture is our biggest sustainable compe-
titive advantage,” says Vermaak. We don’t have a
culture of centralised head office control. In fact, our
culture is exactly the opposite; we seek to empower
our people within their various operations.
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