[2007-08-15]  Nampak Rigid Plastics open's plastic bottle factory in Botswana
Nampak Rigid Plastics has opened a plastic bottle factory in Botswana. Phillip de Weerdt, the Managing Director of Nampak Rigid Plastics said the move to invest in Botswana is closely aligned with the Nampak Group's African growth strategy and signals the beginning of what will be a long-term partnership with Botswana.

Weerdt explained at the official opening of the factory last week that as Nampak grows in the local market, they will spread their investment in Botswana.

On why Nampak decided to invest in Botswana, the Managing Director said Nampak establish a liquid packaging plant in Botswana because its base business reached a point where the volumes warranted the R7 million infrastructure investment.

"Once established and catering for the needs of the local market, its envisaged that the plant could supply products to markets such as Namibia, Zimbabwe and even some regions in South Africa."

Nampak Rigid Plastics manufactures a diverse range of plastic products and they will like to find out what other packaging solutions can be produced locally, in the future.

"Nampak will produce HDPE bottles mainly for the dairy and juice industries. We make a range of plastic packaging products, from PET bottles to crates, drums and paperboard cartons. Other sectors to be serviced by the new plant are producers of industrial chemicals and household cleaners. Now that there is an in-country plant, customers who have been relying on imports can expect improved services levels, enhanced stock holding capacity and more effective products," he said.

The new plant has three lines to produce plastic bottles will help to achieve efficiency through closer one-on-one contact, immediate response times, better integration with supply chains, market driven innovation and solutions, he said.

The Managing Director was confident that customers will be able to access Nampak's world-class research and development facility, extensive business intelligence resources, state of the art technology and international partners and affiliates.

He said at Nampak, the offering to manufacture bottles forms part of their packaging excellence promise and it will be pertinent as it is in Johannesburg, London and Amsterdam. "Packaging excellence is our aspiration, challenge and goal. It's a philosophy that is at the heart of our business and it is what we strive to live by," said Weerdt.



Source: All Africa