Growth Feature
printing for aluminium aerosol cans, and it is “the only company in the world” to do so, according to him. “Digital printing technology provides a bigger playground for brands to position their products and to tell consumers about their products. The communication that’s possible with digital printing is significantly different from offset printing in aluminium.”
Creating JV for aluminium aerosol cans in Mexico Developing the company’s strategy around aluminium aerosol cans, Colep Packaging set up a joint venture (JV) with Argentina-based Envases Group last October. The 50-50 venture will see the two sides invest more than $30 million in a new aluminium aerosol packaging plant in Querétaro, central Mexico, in the first two years. After making inroads in the
aluminium aerosol cans market on the European side, “we looked at the Americas and saw that the Mexican market needed more capacity,” Sousa says. Knowing the market was key to clinching the tie-up deal with Envases. Sousa and Colep Packing teams had worked on contract manufacturing operations in this part of the world while Envases had previously built a factory in a greenfield project in Mexico. “This was the perfect fit for us, also because of Envases’ expertise in aluminium aerosols.” The factory’s three lines are
expected to be operational by mid- 2025, with the first one up and running in October. Together, they will offer a total annual production capacity of 120 million units. Covering mainly customers in the Mexican market, whether they are multinationals, private labels or contractors, the venture will, for the time being, focus on the three lines. “The 13,000 square metre factory allows for expansion,” Sousa says, adding that plans to scale up its capacity will be explored once all the production lines are “successful”. “One of the important things for
us is really to adapt the offering to the profile of our customers or profile of the product types. We don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach and therefore we design programmes that really fit the needs of the customers and the product segments.”
The first production line at a new factory in Querétaro
Hinterkopf’s D240 digital printing machine for aerosol containers at the Barcelona plant
and more on the way, the site offers a wide range of sizes
from 250ml to 25l fills, which are now being
delivered to the market.
equipment already in operation
With
Expanding production of industrial cans to Central Europe Along with steel aerosols, industrial cans currently make up roughly 40% of Colep Packaging’s output, according to Sousa. Until now, its production of industrial cans was based in Portugal and Spain’s northern province of Navarre, cementing its position as the Iberian leader of general line packaging. As part of its growth strategy, the
company is expanding its production of paint and coatings cans to its facility in Poland. “We’re expanding our packaging in this segment to Central Europe through our plant in the central Polish province of Kleszczow,” he says. With equipment already in operation and more on the way, the site offers a wide range of sizes from 250ml to 25l fills, which are now being delivered to the market. “We launched a new 15 litre bucket for paints, which has a significant downgauging. It also has a much more user-friendly lid that is simple to open and close without paint losing any properties.”
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Growth, consolidation and sustainability Weaving sustainability into the fabric of every business is imperative in today’s world. For Sousa, sustainability has three dimensions: environmental, economic and social which are all inter-linked. He says it as it: “I don’t believe in environmental without the economic impact and therefore we always need to balance these two things. Our focus is on making products that require less resources not only because it has environmental impact, but it also drives down costs. “Creating a sustainable business
and being there for the community and being there for our people and for our stakeholders makes a huge difference. And if you believe in that, the decisions that you make so that your business continues to grow and be sustainable are much simpler.” With a “growth mandate”, Sousa
notes it is also important for the company to sustain its growth. “We don’t want to bite more than we can chew. This year and next will be a period of consolidation and making all our operations work well. After all, Colep Packaging is here for the long run. Customers know they can lean on us for the future. We deliver on what we commit to,” he concludes. With its latest footprint in Latin
America’s No. 2 economy, Colep Packaging now has production facilities in Mexico, Spain, Poland and Portugal.
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