Long established as the top name in South African metal can production for the non-beverage market, Nampak DivFood is facing emerging competition and export challenges with confidence, says divisional managing director Ephraim Msane.

By Colin Chinery

Each year Nampak DivFood, South Africa’s leading food and diversified can supplier and All in One solution provider to the industry, sells an impressive total of almost one and a half billion food and diversified cans into the domestic market. Worldwide it supplies into 35 countries.

This is the Nampak ‘Can Do’ spirit; signed, sealed and delivered.

“Over the years we have developed skills ranging from packaging design to production and customer support. And customers put great value on the depth of our experience. We have the largest packaging R&D facility in South Africa if not the southern hemisphere, and we keep a very close eye on what is happening in the global packaging sector,” says divisional managing director Ephraim Msane (pictured). “Put all this together and it clearly gives us the edge.”

Manufacturing and marketing a diverse range of high quality two-piece and three-piece cans, Nampak DivFood’s portfolio includes a comprehensive choice of plain and lacquered ends, full-aperture tinplate easy-opening ends, and peel-offs. All manufactured to exacting requirements from largely local tinplate.

And as one of the few metal can manufacturers producing tinplate and aluminium aerosols worldwide, Nampak DivFood tailor-makes aerosols in varied sizes and shoulder profiles. With designs printed in high quality detail, brand image – a Silent Salesman – is enhanced, leaving an impression of product quality in the eyes and minds of consumers. Nampak DivFood also shapes its aluminium aerosol cans - an advantage in a market where packaging shape is perceived to be uniform across different brands.

In collaboration with Nampak Research & Development, Nampak DivFood cans are backed by cutting-edge materials, food technology and microbiology laboratories. These world-class facilities play an integral role in providing microbiology and spoilage investigation, thermal process validation, new materials and shelf life evaluation, container physical testing, hygiene audits and other canned food must-haves. A complete and highly professional supply chain management system enables its customers to reach their markets in record time.

Nampak DivFood has over 60 years experience in manufacturing plain and decorated metal containers, making it the acknowledged South African leader in aerosols, metal containers and decorative tinware.

Two modern design studios, equipped with state-of-the-art computerised design systems, complement DivFood’s design capability and provide customers with limitless decoration options for added shelf-shout.
Its promotional tinware includes beautifully finished tins celebrated for their designs and excellent print quality, offering a functional, visually appealing, durable and relatively inexpensive option for promotions and limited-edition product ranges.

As a creative and innovative manufacturer with access to the best international technology, Nampak DivFood is able to fulfil almost any customised requirement across wide market segments.

While competition in the past has been limited, new companies have recently entered the can-making sector and are attempting to establish a presence. “This is probably the biggest challenge we have,” says Msane. ”Aside of course from the ongoing South African challenge of exchange rate fluctuations. Needless to say we continue to organise ourselves appropriately to meet this new competitive challenge and remain the leading supplier that we have been for years.”

Nampak DivFood is itself a direct exporter, selling can-making components and cans. “We have over 40 national markets throughout the world. South America and the Far East are major markets, and selling into Africa is a key strategic goal.”

Ronnie Welsh, Customer Services Director, notes too the big push from client base to cut costs. “There are also environmental pressures. South Africa may be regarded in some places as Third World but in terms of the multinationals we deal with, South Africa is set the same standards as elsewhere in the world. So compliance with the same benchmarks on say recycle ability or carbon footprint are demanded and expected, and we find all of these kinds of issues are coming to the fore in South Africa now. We have substantial investments in recycling initiatives, and because we intend to be in this business for a very long, long time we want to make sure that in the way we do business everything is as sustainable as possible.

“We want to provide the best quality and the best service for our customers, hence the investment in new equipment, new printing equipment for example that will give us faster turn-around time and better quality. We’ve also put in new end making machinery, again to give customers a better service and lower cost.”

Over the years Nampak DivFood has shown that it will invest behind increased customer requirements. A good example of this is the addition of two lines to its aluminium aerosol can manufacturing capacity in the past three years.

“A main point is that we don’t just supply a can, which is what our competitors generally do,” says Msane.
”Basically they buy machines, make products and then sell them. They don’t, for example, spend much time with their customers to support their machines in terms of running their lines effectively. They don’t spend as much time explaining how their products behave in the can.

“Nampak DivFood on the other hand, gives full support in all these areas. So if a customer comes to us he receives not merely a view on which can to use or how it should be made, but advice all the way through to how his product is going to perform once inside the can.

“We aim to provide our customers with total packaging solutions that strike the optimal balance between high container performance, safety, and low price. And at Nampak DivFood we have the experience, expertise, innovative edge and strength of resource that no other local manufacturer can match.”

Image: Getty