Johannesburg – 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 in the South African economy.
Ardagh said its staggered investment kicked off in May 2022 with R1.5 billion set aside for the expansion of its facility in Nigel, Ekurhuleni, which will result in the creation of hundreds of jobs.
Ardagh, which came into existence after it took over the company, Consol, which itself had existed since 1944, said a further R1.8 billion was later added to the investment for expansion at the same facility.
The company is headquartered in Johannesburg and operates four modern glass production facilities – Bellville, Clayville, Nigel, and Wadeville.
Together they produce about five billion glass containers every year.
Chief Executive Officer of Ardagh Glass Packaging Africa, Paul Curnow, this week said demand for sustainable packaging in Africa was growing strongly, supported by factors such as rising income levels and growing sustainability awareness.
He said Ardagh was committed to investing in its people and its asset base to serve “this strong demand”.
The expansions have also been designed with the environment in mind,” said Curnow.
“They provide significant energy, water efficiency, and environmental benefits, representing another important step in Ardagh Glass Packaging Africas journey to decarbonise the glass production process and to reduce emissions in the communities in which it operates.
Curnow said the expansion projects together were 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 on job creation.
