Displaying items by tag: packaging

Ethiopia: A new bag-packing unit at Dangote Cement Ethiopia’s Mugher plant in Oromia is unable to start operation due to a lack of raw materials. The US$20m polypropylene bag plant was completed in April 2018 but it is restricted by government controls on foreign currency that are limiting its import of input materials, according to the Reporter newspaper. The unit can produce up to 120 million bags per year.

The cement producer has also suspended plans to build a second 2.5Mt/yr production line at the plant. An agreement was signed with China’s Sinoma International for the project but it has since been abandoned due to a shortage of foreign currency, a lack of electrical power and general security issues. Deep Kamara, the country manager of Dangote Cement Ethiopia, was killed in an gun attack in mid-2018. No one has been arrested in relation to the murder.

Russia: Eurocement has resumed the packaging line at its Oskolcement plant. It sells products in 50kg bags. The packaging line uses equipment from Germany’s Haver & Boecker and Beumer.

Mauritius: Lafarge Mauritius has launched Lakaz Mazik, a cement bag that dissolves in a concrete mixer. The bag has been developed by Sweden’s BillerudKorsnäs, according to the L’Express newspaper.

China: Starlinger Plastics Machinery Taicang, the Chinese branch of Austria’s Starlinger, has reached the milestone of building 10,000 circular looms. It reached this target in November 2018. The plant was established in 2005 and started manufacturing looms in 2006. It produces around 1000 looms/yr. Omega 6 and Omega 1000 model looms were first produced at Starlinger Taicang. This was then followed by the RX series, which is produced exclusively in China.

Germany: Bischof + Klein will present a new product from its PowFlex product range at the Powtech trade fair in April 2019. The film and packaging developer will showcase its B+K PowFlex vs powder packaging product for the first time. This converted alternative to paper valve sacks supplements the B+K PowFlex product range for powder packaging. It is intended for the construction industry but other applications in the chemicals and foodstuff industries are also possible.

Germany: The RKW Group came second in a study into ‘Germany's Most Sought-After Employer 2018’ by the FAZ Institute and the IMWF Institute for Management and Economic Research. The institutes looked at the 5000 largest companies in the country and scored them by quality, performance, success, sustainability, corporate culture and values.

The RKW Group is a family-owned company headquartered in Frankenthal, Germany and a manufacturer of film solutions for hygiene, agricultural and beverage sectors. It also produces packaging for powdery goods. In addition, the company makes films and nonwovens for medical applications, for the chemical and converting industries as well as for the construction sector.

Mozambique: The National Inspectorate of Economic Activities (INAE) says that all cement producers must include an expiry date on cement packaging. The decision follows a study looking at the production, labelling, sale and transport of cement, according to the Mozambique News Agency. The ruling applies to both locally produced and imported cement.

INAE has requested that any cement should be sold at least three weeks prior to its expiry date. It is intended to give consumers consistent information about the date of production, the type of cement, the quality and the price. The central government agency is also hosting talks with local government to help provide warehouse space to distributors and retailers selling cement. It aims to stop the sale of cement on the street.

Iran: The price of cement packaging for 50kg cement bags has risen by 117% since late 2017. Mohammad Ali Bod, a member of Iranian Cement Industry Employers Association, warned that some cement plants in the country would have to stop operating if the situation was not resolved, according to the Trend News Agency.

South Africa: Germany’s Haver & Boecker has entered into a joint-venture with Southport-based Portland Packaging. Through the joint venture, the Portland Packaging plant will start producing Haver & Boecker products and equipment alongside its own products, retaining the brands of both companies. The German company says that this is the first time a multinational full line packaging company has manufactured product for Africa, in Africa. It will be the minority partner in the joint venture.

Portland Packaging was founded in 2002 by Barry Buist, a former employee of a Haver & Boecker partner company in South Africa. It sells packaging machinery, parts and service to more than 100 customers across Africa and beyond, primarily in the cement industry.

India: High crude oil prices are forcing packaging costs to rise for cement producers. Data sourced from Capitaline shows that Ambuja Cements’ packaging material cost rose by 19% year-on-year in the 2018 financial year, according to the Mint business newspaper. Similarly, Shree Cement’s packaging costs rose by 9%. Both companies use high-density polyethylene bags, which are affected by the cost of oil. Crude oil prices have risen by around 24% to far in 2018 to above US$80/barrel.