LaPacK
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Staying ahead of
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Lapack focus manufacturing
a self–proclaimed “leader of the pack” Lapack has been manufacturing plastic packaging for the personal care industry for over 30 years. By ian armitage
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common trend of many of the businesses we have featured this month is that they started small – from Ocean Basket to Zambeef. Lapack is no different. Its life began in 1981, formed by brothers Bob and Eric Smith, who ran the operation from a small shop in Johannesburg. 30 years on, the company is almost unrecognisable and is now a leading provider of personal care packaging across South Africa. “That we are,” says executive director and second-generationer Mark Smith. “We supply companies like Tiger Brands, Revlon, Colgate, Johnson & Johnson, Unilever and Loreal. “Lapack is a family owned business that has been manufacturing plastic packaging for the personal care industry for over 30 years,” he adds. “We started with just the family running the business from manufacturing the moulds to producing and printing and through hard work and some tough times we slowly grew the business to what it is today. Lapack is now one of the biggest privately owned plastic packaging companies in South Africa in the personal care industry. We pride ourselves on manufacturing quality packaging for the personal care industry and it shows with our client base being some of the blue chip companies in the world – the likes of which I’ve mentioned.” According to Smith the company has more than 400 staff today but can proudly say that some of the original staff compliment still work there. “It says something for family run businesses and as we go through www.southafricamag.com
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Lapack focus manufacturing
We supply companies like Tiger Brands, Revlon, Colgate, Johnson & Johnson, Unilever and Loreal
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a really difficult period worldwide in this industry. It’s the family business’s that can survive due to the simple fact that the family has total control and understanding of the business.
“In plastics its experience that makes the difference. It’s on the floor knowledge that allows the man at the top to make the right decisions in this industry and with all family businesses
Lapack focus manufacturing
you start on the floor and even if you are CEO you still are part of those on the floor decisions every day.” Sadly perhaps – and maybe even devastatingly for the plastics industry and wider economy - businesses like Lapack are being swallowed up by the big corporate companies. They’re becoming something of a rarity. Smith says the result is a lot of experience and knowledge is being lost. “That has a happy consequence for us our clients can take comfort in the fact that they are dealing with a company that has the experience from the shop floor to the very top and that we continually reinvest into our business and staff ensuring longevity and sustainability. “The personal care market in South Africa has been adversely affected by the recession and the continued high price of oil and exchange rate has had a negative effect 6
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our clients can take comfort in the fact that they are dealing with a company that has the experience from the shop floor to the very top and that we continually reinvest into our business and staff ensuring longevity and sustainability
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Lapack focus manufacturing
Hestico (Pty) Ltd. Hestico are pleased to be associated with the Lapack success story who are excellent customers and have been for many years. Lapack believe in using the state of the art equipment (Aoki; Uniloy; Maguire and Yudo) which traditionally Hestico supplies into the African Market. This state of the art equipment enables Lapack to run very efficiently providing top quality moulded containers to their customers in the Personal care, cosmetics and Pharmaceutical industry. We wish Lapack all the very best for the future.
on the plastic industry as a whole. You cannot expect an overnight recovery and it’s going to take a few years for our industry to get back to the profitability of pre 2008. Like I said, it’s going to be about knowledge in the running of your company and about servicing your clients.” He believes that a bright future is in store for Lapack. “Over the next five years we plan to ensure that we remain leaders in the personal care industry in South Africa. Through innovation and design, we want to be leaders and not followers. Through the help of our customers and suppliers we can maintain our position in the marketplace. 8
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over the next five years we plan to ensure that we remain leaders in the personal care industry in South africa
“We are looking to expand into Africa. Emerging market is constantly used to describe Africa and yes in certain industries it most definitely has enormous potential. However the minimum wage is still extremely low in most parts of Africa and so we have taken a decision to support our current clients through either technical advice or by exporting our product to them. We will constantly monitor the situation. “We have advanced plans which I sadly cannot talk about – it is strategic and contract negotiations are ongoing.” END Lapack is a technology-driven, award-winning packaging company. To learn more visit www.lapack.co.za.
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