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ACHIEVEMENTS LEADING TO
SUCCESS ACROSS
Produced by Jassen Pintado Written by Mateo Rafael Tablado Art direction Omar Rodríguez Interviewee Fernando Figiacone, Vice President of Supply Chain in Africa for ABInBev
Alignment with best practices and global standards contribute to surpass different challenges faced across the territory, enabling a sustainable operation in brewing, completely invested in its surrounding communities
ABInBev Africa
T
he origins of ABInBev
late 1990s, as the company grew into
in Africa go back to
Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia
1895, when the Castle
through different ventures.
Brewery was created by founder brewer Charles
September 2016, ABInBev brought
Glass in Johannesburg, South Africa
along global brands Budweiser,
(RSA). It only took two years before
Corona and Stella Artois, now popular
the company was listed on the
on the entire continent.
Johannesburg stock exchange. In 1950, the brewery’s corporate
ABINBEV ACROSS AFRICA TODAY
headquarters were moved from
“ABInBev Africa represents one of the
London to Johannesburg, with the
shining lights within ABInBev, globally.
purpose of achieving growth and
There are so many achievements to be
expansion. Five years later, the
proud of”, stated Fernando Figiacone,
Ohlsson’s and Chandler breweries
Vice President of Supply in Africa for
were acquired by Castle, renaming
ABInBev.
the group as South African Breweries (SAB) EXPANSION ACROSS THE CONTINENT
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After acquiring SABMiller in
ABInBev’s operations in Africa take place across eleven countries through three main territorial business units: • The West territory encompasses
Besides arriving in Zimbabwe soon
Ghana and Nigeria. Focus brands in
after, the most prominent expansion
this area include Club, Hero, Trophy
era for SAB took place during the
and Budweiser beers.
Food and Beverage
ABInBev Africa represents one of the shining lights within ABInBev, globally. There are so many achievements to be proud of - Fernando Figiacone, Vice President of Supply in Africa for ABInBev
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ABInBev Africa
• Botswana, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Uganda belong to the
Artois and Hansa are the key brands in the South.
Southeast unit. Main brands in this territory include Kilimanjaro, Mosi, 2M, St Louis and Club.
In South Africa alone, the company provides 7,000 jobs, supporting a beer value chain from seed to sip
• The South territory is formed by
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of more than 250,000 individuals
Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia and South
and ultimately contributing to over
Africa. Brutal Fruit, Budweiser, Carling
1, 000, 000 livelihoods. With raw
Black Label, Castle Lager, Castle Lite,
materials sourced from more than
Corona, Flying Fish (who recently
1,200 farmers, SAB is able to produce
created a flavored spritzer), Stella
a 30 million hL volume, exporting 14
Food and Beverage
brands into 28 different countries
Africa, securing supplies for
across Africa, besides exporting to
bottle production.
countries in different continents. Boosted by new breweries opened
In the wake of economic uncertainty and the need for recovery, SAB
in Mozambique and Nigeria during the
recently reaffirmed its commitment to
last three years, in 2021 the company
ignite the South African economy as it
reached a 50 million hL production
pledges to invest to R4.5bn – adding
across the continent.
impact to an industry that already
Recent investments include a stateof-the-art malting facility in Zambia,
contributes 1.3% of the national GDP During 2018, the brewery launched
and also investment in a takeover of a
Brutal Fruit Ruby Apple Spritzer,
glass manufacturing facility in South
which became the largest selling
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ABInBev Africa
We ended a strong 2021 with growth. We will continue to push for the same performance going forward
- Fernando Figiacone, Vice President of Supply in Africa for ABInBev
8
Food and Beverage
innovation ever in the continent,
University and Darden University, all
growing total brand volume by 40%
of these as part of ABInBev between
and driving double-digit growth.
2015 and 2021.
“We ended a strong 2021 with growth in volume, revenue and
UP TO GLOBAL STANDARDS
EBITDA. We will continue to push for
Operations in Africa bring along
the same performance going forward,” different challenges due to the the executive said. infrastructure in some countries, A LONG TENURE IN BREWING PROVIDING LEADERSHIP Fernando Figiacone graduated from
as well as other factors such as commodity fluctuations and worsening currency exchange rates. To these
the Catholic University of Argentina
common situations, the COVID-19
as an Industrial Engineer. Figiacone
pandemic brought additional burdens
also earned a postgraduate degree
to logistics and lead times.
in Food & Beverage Marketing from
“These are part of the challenges
the University of Belgrano (Argentina)
faced, but they are also what excites
and a Master in Company from the
us and drives us to perform,”
University of San Andrés (also in
Figiacone explained.
Argentina). Other postgraduate studies taken
The strong management systems in place across ABInBev Africa bring
by Figiacone include Supply Chain
the company to the same level as all
Training in MIT (Massachusetts
zones, globally. Constant training,
Institute of Technology), Stanford
adoption of best practices and KPI
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ABInBev Africa
tracking has enhanced its leadership,
businesses. Also, 95% of procurement
increasing autonomy across every
is spent through suppliers with
team and successfully achieving
significant ratings in respect to local
benchmark levels. Notable areas
business empowerment.
which have become optimized include logistics, supply and the development
nearly $6.6 million and $5 million in
of a returnable glass bottle system,
Supplier and Enterprise Development
among others.
Initiatives, respectively.
THOROUGH INVOLVEMENT WITH LOCAL SUPPLIERS As part of the historic merger
These programs have enabled the company to help develop and train nearly 1,000 emerging farmers,
conditions when ABInBev purchased
increasing the local barley, hops
SAB Miller, SAB committed to invest
and corn production feeding the
R1billion ($70m) into SA economy by
supply chain.
the end of 2021 in three key areas
From 2017 to 2021, investments
of investment spend: Agricultural
of more than $13 million have helped
Development, Enterprise and
agricultural development programs.
Supplier Development, and Societal
The company’s commitment to
Upliftment initiatives.
enterprise and supplier development,
Efforts have been consistent, as
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In 2020 alone, the company invested
local procurement and local
in the last five years the company
businesses has allowed for the
invested more than $93.5 million
creation of programs such as the
in procurement with Black-owned
SAB Thrive Fund, not only becoming
Food and Beverage
The challenges faced are also what drives us to perform - Fernando Figiacone, Vice President of Supply in Africa for ABInBev
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ABInBev Africa
a transformation factor within the
efficiency in the three business units
company’s supply chain, but also
forming ABInBev Africa. The Voyager
providing much-needed jobs in
Plant Optimization program deploys
local communities.
best practices and standardization of operations. The program evolves
GLOBAL SUPPORT AND
continuously, improving and certifying
CONTINENTAL COMPLIANCE
every process, leading to a safe,
WITH STANDARDS
sustainable operation of every
Support from ABInBev through global
production plant.
programs contribute to increasing
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Also, the Africa zone head office,
Food and Beverage
based in South Africa, oversees every
HIGHLY-SKILLED WORKFORCE
business unit, playing an essential role
Personnel working at ABInBev Africa
of support regarding supply,
develop unique skills after undergoing
logistics, procurement, finance
demanding training. The company can
and people management.
easily state that its staff is comprised
“We have been able to optimize
of some of Africa’s finest, most
our operations despite operating in
brilliant individuals, whose sense of
hugely challenging environments,”
commitment and ownership drives
said the executive.
them towards delivering excellence in execution despite any challenges
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ABInBev Africa
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April 2022
Food and Beverage
faced. Hence, the company strives
seem to provide an infinite supply of
to maintain a low turnover rate.
ingredients for brewing, the reality is that these coveted commodities must
BETTER USE OF RESOURCES, IMPROVED CONDITIONS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY
be managed wisely to ensure their
Along its tenure operating in Africa,
improved noticeably within the
ABInBev has found out that, as
company’s drive to sustainability set
there are many resources that may
to 2025 is the efficient management of
availability for time to come. One of the areas which has
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ABInBev Africa
water resources, as during the last five from the municipality. The company years water usage has been reduced
set the goal of improving conditions
by 20%. The company, partnering
with possible solutions to water
with organizations such as the World
restrictions challenging communities
Wildlife Fund has improved conditions
in Mozambique and Namibia.
of water availability in communities across the continent where it
On a related matter, the company has set a goal for 2025 to use 100%
operates. One of the successful efforts of returnable or recycled packaging. In
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is the borehole dug for the Caledon
Ghana and Nigeria possible solutions
Maltings facility, reducing demand
are being tested to increase recycled
Food and Beverage
content in PET. Tanzania is already
tons of waste collected. Meanwhile,
experiencing PET-less bottling with
in South Africa, the EPR (Extended
brands such as Grand Malt being
Producer Responsibility) program
packaged in recyclable cans.
will allow an efficient management of
On its behalf, the Zambia branch
single use and returnable products,
created the Manja Pamodzi project,
thus implementing circular economy
aimed to improve sanitation and
initiatives within communities.
hygiene through waste collection. The
Regarding the energy used to brew
815 collector program boasts 76%
and bottle ABInBev products, the
women, adding more than 14,000
company set the goal of obtaining
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ABInBev Africa
100% of electricity from renewable
14 GWh of electric power, reducing
sources, and enforcing a 25%
CO2 emissions by 12,443 tons. And in
reduction of carbon dioxide emissions
Johannesburg, the Alrode brewery is
across its value chain. This feat seems
powered by bio-gas.
to be approached on time, as the seven
These results have prompted
Castle Lite breweries in South Africa
ABInBev into announcing the global
already operate with solar power, and
goal of achieving net zero emissions
only in 2021 these generated more than across its value chain by 2040.
Food and Beverage
“Sustainable development is a massive focus for our business as it is for many other businesses,” Figiacone remarked. EVERY RESOURCE TO ACHIEVE UPCOMING GOALS ABInBev Africa has a ten-year plan
FOUNDED:
1895, 2016 como ABInBev África
in place to increase its capacity in different countries through different
INDUSTRY:
flexible projects. The goal for 2022
Alimentos y bevidas
is reaching 500,000 hL of product exported across Africa. “Our mission is to support Africa’s growth, by producing the best African Beers with pride, through a highly
CONTACT: www.ab-inbev.com fernando.Figiacone@za.ab-inbev.com
engaged team, improving performance year over year. The focus is to further improve our performance reaching a very high utilization of our assets, and enabling our expansion capacity to support our zone and global growth strategy,” finalized Fernando Figiacone, Vice President of Supply Chain in Africa for ABInBev.
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www.ab-inbev.com fernando.Figiacone@za.ab-inbev.com
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