Africa’s one-stop-shop for packaging

Polyoak Packaging’s Food and Dairy products range.

PRESS OFFICE: Polyoak Packaging

Polyoak Packaging’s ‘one-stop-shop’ approach to servicing its customers is what sets it apart, and enables it to help maximise growth opportunities for its customers. Here’s why it works so well.

Productive, skilled people

Polyoak Packaging is a proudly South African, family-owned business, established in 1976. Today it is a leading rigid plastic packaging supplier with almost 40 manufacturing plants across South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, and an extensive sales and distribution network enabling outstanding customer service across southern Africa.

Its founding values, and the recognition of the importance of its people, have not changed. With 1% of its net profit after tax being invested in corporate & social investment initiatives, and its dedicated Polyoak Business Schools throughout the country delivering training and development for employees, its people are happy, productive and highly skilled. This year alone, 55 of its people celebrated between 20 and 35 years of service with the Polyoak family.

Manufacturing excellence

Polyoak specialises in the design and manufacture of blow-moulded, injection-moulded, compression-moulded and thermoformed packaging for the dairy, beverage, food and industrial markets.  Its advanced machinery and world-class manufacturing facilities are geared towards high volume, low cost production.

Strict internal hygiene practices covering protective clothing, factory cleaning and pest control ensure Polyoak is OHSAS 18001 compliant for Occupational Health and Safety. In addition, Polyoak is ISO 9001 certified for Quality Management and FSSC 22000 certified for food safety.

As Polyoak manufactures all year round and enforces strict quality control procedures, it can offer consistent supply of high quality packaging including plastic tubs, closures, PET bottles and preforms, buckets, drums and now, most recently, aseptic carton systems.

Being able to order all packaging needs from one supplier, simplifies the process for the customer, and enables consolidation of mixed loads for more efficient transportation. There is also the guarantee that matching caps will fit properly as they are specifically designed for the bottle.

Designed to stand out

Polyoak produces a wide range of generic packaging items, which although some may seem commonplace in one market, they are often seen as unique in other markets. This is an effective strategy for smaller brands looking for cost-effective ways of differentiating themselves through pack shape. Polyoak also offers a wide range of options to decorate or brand generic packs, including labelling, in-mould labelling (IML), embossing, sleeving, and screen and offset printing, using only approved food grade inks for food and drink application.

Polyoak’s African Closures Beverages range.

Keith Dilkes, export sales manager for Polyoak Packaging adds, “Polyoak is an expert in the customisation of packaging, with a strong track record of award-winning innovations for its IML Tubs, Fliptops and Child Resistant Closures.”

Specialist services under one roof

With its own internal design division, Polyoak can assist customers in designing new packaging concepts, producing rendered images and printing 3D prototypes using its high-tech software.

Furthermore, Polyoak’s in-house mould manufacturing and servicing division, analyses and simulates its mould designs, to ensure optimal performance before expensive moulds are cut.

Polyoak’s in-house quality assurance laboratory has invested in specialised technical equipment and has a trained taint and odour panel. It also offers customers scientific product testing services.

Offering all these services under the same roof ensures the seamless transition of packaging designs, from concept to final production, and saves the customer time and cost in the process.

Technical expertise

Food and beverage manufacturers in Africa are frequently located great distances from their source of supply. Machine parts for packaging lines, including blowers and fillers, along with the technical support that goes with it, are often far away. Capital can also be an issue when wanting to upgrade machinery or convert packing lines.

“Polyoak is a one-stop-shop when it comes to packaging. In addition to our diverse range of plastic tubs, buckets, bottles and closures, we can also assist with packaging design, testing and sometimes machine leasing. For example, a major beverage brand in Botswana partnered with our expert design team to develop their innovative PET bottle; numerous dairies in Zimbabwe have filling machine leases with us; and a global carbonated soft drinks company in Central Africa has entrusted us with its beverage closures, printed with 100% camera inspection,” explains Dilkes.

Partner with Polyoak

Dilkes concludes, “Ultimately it’s about finding the most effective packaging solution for the challenge at hand. For Polyoak, developing long term partnerships is key. We focus on trying to understand local African markets better, to be able to share some of our experience to benefit customers in this fast-developing region.”

Visit Polyoak at the Tanzania Trade Show in Dar-Es-Salaam at The Mlimani City Conference Centre from 24-26 November 2017.

Email: [email protected]
Tel: +27 (0) 21 710 9200
Visit: www.polyoakpackaging.co.za