Silafrica Sustainable Closure Options Help Top Beverage Brands Reach African Consumers

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 22, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The company recently introduced a new manufacturing process for beverage closures, which cuts energy consumption by more than 31% when compared to their previous injection molding process. Installed late last year for initial testing, the high-speed CCM24SB press line from Italian-based machinery manufacturer SACMI produces closures of higher quality at a lower cost. Extremely lightweight and requiring far fewer packaging materials, it is but another example of the Silafrica mission as a responsible global citizen. Located in the company's Tanzania facility, the new state-of-the-art high-speed rotary compression molding machine has the capacity to produce more than 400 million beverage closures annually for standard single and multi-use beverage bottles.

Upon achieving commercial readiness of the equipment, Silafrica began producing closures for Coca-Cola, Pepsi and several large regional beverage brands who serve consumers throughout the greater East African region. Ideal for all forms of carbonated soft drinks, Silafrica's rotary compression molding operations can also produce closures for the full array of non-carbonated beverage formats, including energy drinks, juices, teas, and waters.

"Rotary compression molding is a far superior process for producing high-speed, high-quality beverage closures at a much lower cost when compared to other processes," commented Akshay Shah, Group Managing Director of Silafrica. "And the best part," he adds, "is that the process yields lighter weight, one-piece closures that require less material and use much less energy to produce. For our many beverage customers, sustainability has become a top priority in their packaging strategy. As their valued supply chain partner, we are continuously improving our facilities and services to enable them to meet and exceed those goals."

When ranked on the basis of the average resident's age, Africa is the world's "youngest" continent with more than 60% of the continent's inhabitants under the age of 25. With 200 million consumers between the ages of 15 and 24, this key demographic represents a huge opportunity to win consumers' favor early and build long term preference among this loyal and brand conscious population. Growth-minded CPG brands have taken note, placing a greater emphasis on reaching the African marketplace, and doing so with a sustainability approach in mind.

"Companies like Silafrica are ideally positioned to support global food and beverage brands with regional state-of-the-art resources that take reaching the African consumer from possibility to reality," Shah comments. "Our rotary compression molding capabilities are just one example of our dedication to bringing best-in-class solutions to help brands reach the Africa marketplace in a manner that is both business and environmentally smart."
Environmental responsibility has been part of Silafrica's corporate culture from its earliest days. The company participates in numerous community service projects every year, has an extensive recycling program at each of its facilities, utilizes solar power, and regularly instructs its teams on sustainability best practices.

An established packaging leader in the East Africa region, Silafrica is a trusted supplier to some of the largest food and beverage brands like Pepsi and Coca-Cola. Other notable customers include Diageo, Heineken, Unilever, SAB Miller, AB InBev, Daima and many more. Silafrica's three facilities strategically located throughout East Africa are all ISO 9001 Certified and FSSC 22000 Certified for food safety and quality standards, as well as Ecovadis, rated for sustainability. Each facility is also equipped with its own water and power supply and is supported by a regional, highly-trained workforce.

"Many customers who have in-house packaging production resources will work with us as part of their Business Continuity Plan," explains Shah. "Given the brands we support, delivering to high-quality consistent standards and providing complete supply chain assurance is not the exception. Here, it is the rule, and one that we all take very seriously."

SACMI – CCM24SB FEATURES
Cool Plus: A cooling device that reduces the temperature of the unit being created and the machine by enhancing airflow. The machine comes equipped with fans for circulating air among units being produced which is especially important for closures that are manufactured for the food industry. The machine also features a clear cover for greater visibility and dust protection.

Quality Control Monitoring: The built-in CVS052D Vision camera system provides state-of-the-art quality control for plastic caps by detecting all visible defects during production including flashes, ovalization, incorrect dimensions, and other contaminations. The system is fully integrated into the compression molding machine and equipped with CVS3000 software for inspecting the internal side of the caps and is able to reject defective units, making production for Silafrica customers more efficient while maintaining high quality.

ABOUT SILAFRICA
Silafrica is an award-winning manufacturer and supplier of plastic and packaging solutions for corporations, CPGs and consumers alike. With headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya it has manufacturing hubs in Kenya, Tanzania, and Ethiopia, and serves clients in these countries as well as Uganda, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and others throughout Africa. Its client roster includes leading global and African CPG brands who use packaging applications for primary and secondary consumer and industrial rigid packaging, and secondary flexible industrial packaging. Business sectors served, including the fastest growing segments within the FMCG space such as food, beverage, personal care, home care, the construction space such as paints & chemicals, as well as the general logistics needs of the distribution and supply chains in the agricultural and consumer sectors.
For more information, please visit http://www.silafrica.com.

For additional press information, please contact:

Ed Delia, Delia Associates
E: edelia(at)delianet.com
T: 908-534-9044

SOURCE Silafrica