Nampak Sacks in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, upgrading its technology, including installation of new self opening bag converting machine, says it increases productivity when frequent size changes are required

Sandy Yang

JOHANNESBURG , February 28, 2012 (press release) – As part of Nampak, Africa’s largest packaging company, Nampak Sacks is one of Southern Africa’s leading suppliers of multi-wall paper sacks, self-opening bags and high gloss sacks and bags.The company’s quality range of products and services surpasses the “a bag is just a bag” stance and are designed in line with the highly specific requirements of Sacks’ customers. Established relationships over many years with both customers and the paper industry have seen Nampak Sacks consistently deliver a cost-effective range of products that optimise packing and distribution processes, and offer effective protection as well as visible on-shelf appeal and environmental benefits across a diverse range of market segments.Continued focus on product and service excellence led to Nampak Sacks receiving two Supplier of the Year awards in 2011 alone – one from customer Illovo Sugar and the other from African cement products giant, Afrisam Cement. “The awards are an indication of Nampak Sacks’ strategy and ability to maintain a superior standard of products and service, competing against major national brands at the highest level,” says Craig Dingley, Managing Director of Nampak Sacks.In 2012, Nampak Sacks’ drive to service its customers and markets continues with the refreshing of a World Class Manufacturing (WCM) drive that had its birth within Nampak as far back as the 1990’s. This focuses on enhancing product and service quality as well as operating efficiencies. As part of the WCM focus, Nampak Sacks is currently upgrading its technology, the most recent upgrade being the installation of a new SO (Self Opening bag) converting Machine – a paper bag making machine called the Triumph 2B Servo.The performance capabilities of the new machine encompass Nampak Sacks’ whole range of SOS block bottom bags. Standard features of the machine include servo technology as well as the "mmr" system, which ensures fast and easy set-up at job changeover. When bag dimensions are changed, all of the stations of the machine’s bottom forming cylinder automatically adjust to the exact position for the new bag size. The use of the "mmr" system results in a notable increase of the productivity of the bag-making machine when frequent size changes are required. All these advantages have direct benefits for the customers’ supply chains in terms of efficiency and speed to market.It is reaction to customer needs and initiatives such as WCM that see manufacturing and process technology being continuously upgraded at Nampak Sacks’ KwaZulu-Natal based plant which is ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 22000 compliant. “We don’t become complacent and as such strive to continually improve by engaging our customers regularly via a formal review process, the results of which are disseminated throughout the organisation and which result in action plans focused on improvement,” says Dingley.

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