ABE UK/ GSM-Ouaga/M.E.P BUSINESS RELEASE N°1 By KOMOU Adama, Tel: +226 70385186, e-mail: adama_komou@yahoo.fr 12/07/2015, source : http://www.jeuneafrique.com/245208/economie/emballage-lautrichien-constantia-flexibles-se-renforce-en-afrique/

PACKAGING: The Austrian “Constantia Flexibles” set up in Africa.

This specialist of flexible packaging has been acquired by the French investment company Wendel. “Constantia Flexibles” has just taken the control of the South African “Afripack” and the operation will be completed over October 2015.

Presentation of “Afripack” Afripack produce flexible packaging solutions and conditioning packages for the food processing industry. The company is owned by: Nozala Invesments (50 %), Pretoria Portland Cement (25 %) and the management of the company (25 %). Afripack is based in Durban, South Africa (SA). It possesses 6 plants in SA and 2 other plants in Kenya and Mauritius. Among the clients of the firm, we have Pepsi, SABMiller, Unilever and the British John West Foods. It has 1 150 employees and had made € 103 million of annual sales last year. The market of Afripack consists of 10 countries among which we have Kenya, Tanzania, Ouganda, Malawi, The Seychelles and Mauritius.

Presentation and ambitions of “Constantia Flexibles” With 8 000 employees, Constantia Flexibles has made € 1.7 billion (+4.8%) of annual sales, with an EBITDA of $ 255 million (+9.2%) in 2014. According to the parent company of this Austrian acquirer, the acquisition of Afripack will contribute to the creation of long term value for Constantia Flexibles. Presently, Constantia Flexibles has settle down in Africa with only one plant, in Johanesbourg (SA), with 100 employees that produce conditioning packages for multinational beverage companies.

As a strategy for global growth, the firm based in Vienna is envisioning to increase its operations in Africa. The raison for this strategic orientation is that Africa shows one of the highest growth rates in the flexible packaging industry, in the world.