Mondi and Constantia Afripack 40-year partnership

“In 1993, the South African market was emerging and fast developing; therefore, we decided to go new ways in terms of supply chain management to follow the market demand for high-quality cement bags and to increase production security,” said Arnold Vermaak, Chairman of Constantia Afripack.

Since 1993, Mondi has been Constantia Afripacks principal supplier of sack kraft paper, with over one billion cement bags being produced in that time.

“Alongside security of supply, we were looking for alternatives to satisfy our customers’ growing demand for strong, high-quality sack kraft paper grades to produce our cement bags. The bags had to be suitable for rough handling, and fast, dust-free filling, and offer value-added benefits, such as material and cost savings,” Vermaak continued.

Further business collaboration occurred in 2011, when Mondi partnered with Constantia Afripack to help the bag manufacture adopt two-ply cement bag construction, a move that “triggered additional material and cost economies without compromising quality or strength”.

“Mondi Sack Kraft Paper brought a lot of expertise in two-ply high-porosity bags from Europe and shared this knowledge with us at Constantia Afripack. Most important, they had Advantage Select,” explained Vermaak. “Advantage Select sack kraft paper allowed us to use only two plies and dispense with perforation, thus significantly reducing paper consumption and dust on our clients’ premises – to mention just two of the benefits.”

Bags made with Advantage Select as also lighter and easier to produce, while being higher strength that previous three-ply bags. “The bags are better able to withstand the filling operation at our clients’ cement mills, as well as the sometimes rough transportation and handling conditions that prevail in the local building industry,” concluded Vermaak.

“We are immensely proud that Constantia Afripack, the biggest cement bag producer in South Africa, puts its faith in our sack kraft paper for its cement bags,” added Conny Josefsson, sales director Sack Kraft Paper, Mondi Europe & International.

“We can look back on a long partnership that has developed and grown in the South African industrial bag market. I value this customer relationship and look forward to further milestones and prosperity for Constantia Afripack.”

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/product-news/03042017/mondi-and-constantia-afripack-40-year-partnership/