5 minute read
Powered for success in sports nutrition product development
Globepak is a pioneer in supplement manufacturing, capable of producing one of the largest ranges of retail products on the continent. As a subsidiary of the USN group of companies, it has been at the forefront of developing and manufacturing plant protein formulations for a growing market in South Africa and worldwide. By Abby Vorster
Set in Centurion’s Louwlardia Logistics Park in Gauteng, Globepak delivers high-quality powdered products for the supplement industry at an affordable price. The contract manufacturing and packing facility is adjacent to the new home of USN and has been operating at this site since September 2021.
The facility is state-of-the-art and world-class from an operational perspective. Globepak’s general manager, Waldo van der Walt, says the high-level functioning of the plant is thanks to its dedicated team of passionate people, who take pride in the work they do and brands they supply.
“A never-say-never attitude and high-quality standards are cornerstones of our success. The sky is the limit and continuous improvement is fundamental to our company’s journey,” he explains.
No-touch dry powder manufacturing
Globepak is known in the market as a specialist in dry powder product manufacturing, which can be a complex task to handle. This is especially true on a site where the diverse range of goods produced includes products each with its own unique properties.
To manage these complexities, its infrastructure is set up on the basis of structured production practices with segregated blending and packing rooms. This is reinforced by experienced staff and technicians, who provide insights into best practices and facilitate high standards through stringent in-line quality checks.
While issues of traceability, authenticity and quality control have been on the supplement industry’s agenda for many years, weak points have resulted in increasing demand from consumers for fully traceable, authentic products with guaranteed quality and safety.
Globepak has made great strides in this area by implementing an innovative no-touch production principle on its state-of-the-art filling equipment and by segregating blending and packing rooms. The Flexicon system and frictionless augers also help to ensure the safety of personnel, protect the environment and guarantee product quality.
Did you know?
Globepak will engage with any potential customer who would like to manufacture a dry powder sports nutrition product. Although USN owns 100% of the business, Globepak operates as a contract manufacturing and packing business with stringent policies in place to protect the IP of all its customers.
Upgrades drive capacity increase
Last year, Globepak invested heavily in upgrading the ergonomics, space and infrastructure within its facility in order to elevate it to a level that is world-class.
“This has allowed us to exceed customer expectations,” says Van der Walt.
Delivering an 80% increase in monthly capacity, the major improvements include an expansion of the floorspace from 4 000m2 to 7 000m2, increasing the storage capacity of the raw materials warehouse by 50% and the raw materials dispensary rooms by 100%. The manufacturer also installed two additional packing lines and went on to contain both the new and its existing packing lines within individual cleanroom environments.
“We are currently in the process of recertifying our facility with a robust FSSC 22000 v5.1-compliant system, which ensures the safety of our products – for our customers and consumers. Following this is the implementation of ISO 9001 quality management systems-certification to ensure our systems are compliant with an internationally-recognised quality assurance scheme,” Van der Walt adds. “We are both halaal- and kosher-certified and strive to make products inclusive and readily available to all sectors of the market. To supply the US with our world-class offerings and as per the requirement of our customers, Globepak is also certified with Registrar Corp as a division of the FDA.”
Innovating to reach new heights
Globepak was established 11 years ago and has retained most of its staff since inception. Its elite R&D technologists are instrumental in bringing customers’ visions to life while ensuring consistency in product quality.
“New product development is the core service we offer, including but not limited to flavour/product matches, reformulations and line extensions,” Van der Walt explains.
This level of innovation keeps Globepak at the forefront of powder product development and production for the supplement industry. It also requires the manufacturer to work closely with its suppliers to source ingredients of the highest quality and with scientifically proven efficacy. Maccallum has been a reliable partner in this sense and always goes above and beyond to provide insights and supports the team on challenging projects.
With a new facility and enhanced capacity, the sky is the limit for Globepak. The future of the business lies in export markets and its ongoing development beyond the big-ticket areas of capacity and facility enhancement. Van der Walt points to waste reduction measures and solutions to prevent downtime as areas where the company will be investing next.
“We aim to build an organisation with a reputation that speaks to our standards and those of the leading brands we service. This is fundamental to our journey.” •
Whey protein production is a core focus area of the business
Globepak’s segregated blending and packing rooms
Globepak's packing hall (above) with a closeup of the packing line setup (below)
