Posted on :Monday , 2nd January 2017
Growth in Africa’s packaging sector is tipped to explode over the coming years and global packaging equipment suppliers are certainly keen to capitalise on the potential for consumer-led growth. According to a report, sub-Saharan Africa’s key food and beverage market grew by 18 per cent last year. Over the next 20 years, it is projected to be four times the region’s urban market growth average. Sub-Saharan Africa’s packaging growth is predicated on some of the most favourable demographics in the world: Africa has the youngest population of any continent.
According to some estimates, of its 1.2 billion population, one in three is a middle-class consumer. Italian packaging machinery manufacturers association Ucima predicts that most of the world’s market growth of 4.9 per cent per year in global demand for packaging machinery to 2018 will come from Africa, second only to Asia in growth terms. Packing a high demand for packaging, much of which is taking place in South Africa, where the continent’s first beverage carton recycling plant was recently launched in Germiston in a partnership between the global food packaging solutions company Tetra Pak and South Africa’s Gayatri Paper Mills. South African packers are also upgrading their equipment with the introduction of all-electric blow moulding machines. Polyoak Packaging is the country’s largest rigid packaging producer with eight divisions and 32 manufacturing plants.
Its Durban facility has operations for two Polyoak divisions: Blowpack (bottles and drums) and Lubripack (motor-oil bottles). The plant currently has four all-electric double-sided Uniloy shuttle machines and another Uniloy all-electric press has now been ordered. Since 2012, it has purchased only all-electric machines. Africa’s two other leading regional packaging markets are East Africa led by Kenya, and West Africa led by Nigeria. This summer, Ishida Europe announced its expansion into the East African food market by signing a partnership agreement with Kenya’s top packaging machine supplier Allwin Packaging International.
Ishida Europe is a leading global supplier of automated solutions. It designs, manufactures and sells individual machines and provides integrated and complete packing lines for fresh and snack food applications. The company recently introduced a new range of multihead weighers and checkweighers, which it is looking to distribute in East Africa. Allwin Packaging International will act as its agent for the region, and, together with Ishida Europe, will help to support East African food manufacturers’ growth through the effective use of automation in markets such as snacks, nuts, cereals, pulses and sugar.
