Packaging company finds growing niche in project cargo

THE DEVELOPMENT of large scale project management companies in South Africa has been the major source of new business for Outsource Packaging, a Wadeville-based company which builds specialised packaging for individual consignments. But business growth has put pressure on capacity.
“We started in 1999. We will be five years old in April. But we are already planning a move to our third site in that short space of time,” says operations director Sean da Silva. “Frankly, we have outgrown our current premises where we have been for the past two years. Our first home proved too small even after the first year of operation.”
Da Silva and close friend Brett Vaughan, the company’s sales and marketing head, will move their operation to a site twice the size within the next two to three months.
Mining equipment - for export to Russian destinations as well as into Africa - and telecommunications projects throughout the African continent have developed to such an extent that Outsource Packaging now has 10 employees based at the plants of each supplier.
“We supply the equipment from Wadeville and they do the packing on site,” he says.
The company concentrates mainly on containerisation, crating and palletisation, with the bulk moved by sea. A considerable volume of Africa-bound cargo is airfreighted.
“Much of the mining equipment, including heavy industrial material, moves through Dubai. About 70% of what we package is destined for that region,” says Da Silva.
“Telecommunications equipment - cellular phones and servicing equipment like towers and computers - finds its way into various African countries.
“But we are capable of designing a package for any size needed. We even had one customer who wanted a special package made to house a printer which is moved around their various offices in Africa. It goes wherever needed, and is kept permanently in the box we made up.”