Sacmi at Africa ProPak
Sacmi is returning to ProPak Africa, an international packaging and processing fair being held in South Africa from 8-11 March 2022. The fair is organised every three years and its 2022 edition follows a period of continent-wide growth in installed production capacity across all rigid packaging technologies businesses. For example, in plastic closures alone, 2020 saw the continent achieve an increase of over 60% and in 2021 it became Sacmi’s main market for the machines and systems for this sector.
Sacmi’s presence in Africa began in the early 2010s when, realising the continent’s potential, the company decided to invest in Africa by opening three offices in strategic locations and focusing on the rigid packaging business. This strategy has since resulted in the installation of over 400 machines that include compression presses, machines and complete lines for crown and aluminium caps, preform presses, container manufacturing plants and assembly solutions. Like the rest of the world, Africa is, especially in the plastics sector, increasingly aware of environmental sustainability issues and the need to optimise consumption of virgin resins. Plastic closure-preform systems are essential to packaging safety and enhance the consumer experience: Sacmi has focused on lightweighting, making cap-preform systems lighter and better performing, especially in the CSD field and for the new tethered standard.
Another Sacmi goal is to broaden the range for the increasing number of bottlers that decide to self-produce caps and preforms. In 2021, it extended its range of preform injection moulding machines by launching the new IPS 300. The global crown cap manufacturing market is a stable one in which Sacmi technology has played a leading role for decades. By expanding the range beyond traditional ultra-high productivity crown cap lines to include complete solutions such as twist-off and pull-ring lines and new multi-material caps, the company has diversified its technology for the aluminium caps sector.
As in the plastics sector, Sacmi complements its metal closures range with computer Vvsion systems; at every stage of production, the latter are making ‘vision’ systems true ‘process monitors’, ensuring they can predict problems on the line, reduce downtimes and boost plant availability and performance.
Over the years, CBF (compression blow forming) has been developed to broaden the range of applications and workable resins, including PET. CBF technology also offers scope for renewed, wider use in the dairy sector by merging the characteristics of alternative technologies.
Further, Sacmi Rigid Packaging has extended its range with new assembly solutions produced by Velomat. The digitally controlled machines simplify the assembly of complex caps, thus reducing costs. The company has also combined its traditional packaging business with a capacity to develop complete stretch-blowing, bottling and labelling systems, solutions that offer versatility and scope for customisation.
Sacmi will be at ProPak Africa on stand 6C16.
For more information, visit: sacmi.com