Ardagh Glass Packaging Africa seeks to build largest container plant

With a total of R3.3 billion invested in the South African economy in the last two years, Ardagh Glass Packaging Africa aims to build the largest container production plant in the continent.

Ardagh is one of the companies that heeded the call by President Cyril Ramaphosa for more investment into the South African economy.

Their staggered investment kicked off in May 2022 with a R1.5 billion set aside for the expansion of its facility in Nigel, Ekurhuleni. A further R1.8 billion was added later for expansion at the same facility.

Ardagh Glass Packing Africa exists after it took over the company, Consol, which had been in existence since 1944.

The company is headquartered in Johannesburg and operates four modern glass production facilities. These are in Bellville, Clayville, Nigel and Wadeville and are producing around five billion glass containers per annum.

The Chief Executive Officer of Ardagh Glass Packaging Africa, Paul Curnow, says demand for sustainable packaging in Africa is growing strongly, supported by factors such as rising income levels and growing sustainability awareness.

He said Ardagh is committed to investing in its people and its asset base to serve this strong demand growth over the near term.

“The expansions have also been designed with the environment in mind. They provide significant energy, water efficiency and environmental benefits, representing another important step in Ardagh Glass Packaging Africa’s journey to decarbonise the glass production process and to reduce emissions in the communities in which it operates,” Curnow said.

He adds that the expansion projects together are expected to create around 300 direct jobs and significant ancillary supply-chain expenditure in local communities.

The company also estimates that at least five indirect jobs are created for every direct job, indicating a much larger impact in job creation. – SAnews.gov.za