South Africa’s Portland Packaging (Pty) Ltd will begin to manufacture Haver & Boecker products at its manufacturing facilities, the first time a global full-line packaging company has manufactured in Africa.
“Bringing together the ingenuity and dedication of both of our manufacturing teams will be a huge benefit for Africa,” said Florian Festge, Managing Director at Haver & Boecker. ““Customers will have nearly immediate access to packaging machines and OEM-quality parts. Further, our teams and Portland Packaging’s teams of local employees embody a keen understanding of the region and its companies, which all have specific challenges that need unique solutions.”
Haver & Boecker, a minority partner in the joint venture, manufactures packaging equipment, such as the Roto-Packer and other valve bag fillers, open-mouth, and bulk bag machines and powder and liquid filling solutions. Portland Packaging, a 16-year-old manufacturing company based in Southport, Kwa-Zulu Natal, fabricates, supplies, and provides service for their own brand of high-speed packaging systems and parts. Its more than 100 customers, primarily in the cement industry, span Africa and beyond.
To achieve the companies’ shared goals and ensure customers receive the best possible products, Haver & Boecker will train Portland Packaging employees to create Haver products to the company’s high standards, as well as to infuse the existing Portland product line with an enhanced fabrication process.
In line with the partnership, Haver Southern Africa added Norbert Tschudy as its managing director of sales and marketing. Tschudy brings more than 15 years of experience in international technical sales and business development to his new role. Working alongside Tschudy is Jonas Komitsch, sales and project manager for Haver & Boecker South Africa.
The company will manage sales and marketing for both product lines, working closely with the existing Portland Packaging sales team, ensuring customers continue to be paired with local representatives that understand the unique market, country and culture. This will be beneficial to maintaining relationships and finding the best product solutions for each customer’s challenges.