After more than five decades in business, CTP Flexibles remains one of South Africa’s most respected flexible packaging converters – not by chasing the limelight, but by consistently delivering quality, reinvesting in its people and infrastructure and steadily evolving to meet new industry demands.

Located in Ndabeni, Cape Town, CTP Flexibles operates from a facility that, at first glance, gives little away. But inside, the company’s values of quiet consistency and technical integrity quickly become apparent. With over 50 years of experience and a firm foundation as part of the larger CTP Group, the business continues to build on its legacy through strategic investment and long-term vision.

‘We’ve always just focused on doing the work quietly and consistently,’ says general manager Raymond Fenner, reflecting on the company’s evolution over the past decade. ‘But with all the developments of recent years, we recognise that it’s important for the market to understand our capabilities and what we continue to invest in.’

Since 2015, CTP Flexibles has implemented 15 major capital investment programmes focused on technology, infrastructure upgrades and sustainability. These initiatives have boosted the company’s installed capacity to between 9 000 and 10 000 tons per year, with the latest investment in extrusion equipment adding a further 2 500 tons of high-quality three-layer extrusion film.

The company has developed an extensive vertical integrated manufacturing model, engineering and refining its own films for enhanced control and quality assurance. ‘It’s not just about producing packaging,’ adds Paul Prophet, new business executive. ‘Our recent investments in advanced extrusion technology and downstream lamination capacity enable us to stay at the forefront of global polymer innovation.’

‘CTP Flexibles has consistently met customer expectations for decades, but the past 10 years have marked a significant shift,’ says Denver Kirsten, national sales manager. ‘As the industry moved from traditional to flexible packaging, the CTP Group didn’t just keep pace – we made the bold investments needed to lead in key markets and to pivot towards a more sustainable, innovation-driven future.’

He continues: ‘Our focus on improved recyclability and environmental responsibility has become central to our packaging approach. These achievements wouldn’t have been possible without the exceptional skills and expertise we’ve gained through strategic acquisitions. Our people are the true differentiator – making the past year a success and setting the stage for an exciting decade ahead.’

CTP Flexibles grew steadily as part of the CTP Group, building a reputation for quality and reliability. In recent years, however, the team has deliberately advanced its capabilities to become a full-spectrum packaging manufacturer – serving as both converter and technical partner.

‘We’ve progressed from producing monolayer extruded material to constructed, multilayer films,’ Raymond explains. ‘That development is ongoing and essential to servicing industries where specifications are exacting, such as beverages, pharmaceuticals and personal care.’

Central to this growth has been a series of carefully considered equipment upgrades. The factory floor now features world-class technologies from leading European manufacturers: Windmöller & Hölscher (W&H) blown film extruders (Optimex I & II and Varex), BOBST CI flexo presses (including the Vision CI), Nordmeccanica Supercombi and BOBST DA800 bi-lam/triplex laminators and pouch and bag making systems from Titan, Hudson-Sharp, Totani and Karlville.

These upgrades allow CTP Flexibles to operate at scale while maintaining precision, reliability and – increasingly important – sustainability.

Sustainable engineering

While CTP Flexibles hasn’t always publicised its sustainability work, it has made substantial progress in this area, particularly in energy and material efficiency. The company has installed nearly 4 000 solar panels, generating up to 2MW of power. The company consumes the majority of the electricity it generates to power its operations, with any surplus fed back into the grid. Over the past 18 months, the system has saved the equivalent of 45 000 trees and reduced CO2 emissions by approximately 1.5 tons.

Sustainability is deeply embedded in the production process itself. ‘We’ve focused on minimising material waste at the source,’ explains Paul. ‘Our high-precision W&H extrusion lines produce films with thickness variations as low as 2.5%, which means we can use less material to meet our customers’ exact requirements.’ This upstream, efficiency-driven thinking has guided the design of recyclable, lightweight and high-performance packaging.

Expanded colour gamut (ECG) printing is also well established at CTP Flexibles, offering the dual benefit of reducing ink consumption and a lower carbon footprint.

People at the core

Despite the scale of its technical investments, CTP Flexibles hasn’t lost sight of the people behind the production lines. In fact, much of the company’s long-term success is attributed to its people-centric approach.

‘One of our biggest priorities has been investing in the right people and supporting their development,’ says Raymond. ‘We’ve hired carefully, trained consistently and encouraged accountability across our teams.’

This is especially significant in a country where a recognised skills gap exists. Instead of seeing it as an obstacle, CTP Flexibles has embraced the challenge by developing internal capabilities – integrating teams post-acquisition, building institutional knowledge and fostering a strong sense of pride on the factory floor. ‘We want our people to take care of the equipment and take ownership of the product – that’s how quality is sustained over time,’ adds Raymond.

Market relevance

CTP Flexibles focuses on technically demanding markets, serving the alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care, hygiene, FMCG packaging and industrial film sectors.

Products are engineered for purpose – whether it’s multilayer barrier films, laser-scored sachets for easy opening or breathable medical-grade pouches. ‘There’s no need to go overseas for quality flexible packaging,’ Paul says. ‘We have the capabilities right here and we measure ourselves against global benchmarks.’

For CTP Flexibles, passing over the 50-year milestone is not a moment for loud celebration. It’s an opportunity to reaffirm its purpose: to continue investing in smart sustainability, growing export capacity and improving digital integration across operations.

‘We’ve been in the game long enough to know that good business is about long-term planning, careful adaptation, consistent delivery and ethical practice – all while forming part of the broader, entrepreneurial CTP Group,’ Raymond concludes.

‘It’s not about being first or being loud. It’s about doing things properly – for our customers, our team and the environment.’

CTP Flexibles is a division of CTP Limited and an integral part of the CTP Packaging group, which also includes SA Litho Label Printers, Boxes for Africa, CTP Cartons & Labels and Boland Printers.

Strategic expansion

In 2023, the company expanded into a new premises just a few metres from its original site, acquiring and transforming the former Amcor facility. This strategic move doubled its production footprint to over 30 000m². This move was both practical and symbolic, creating room to grow while ensuring continuity for staff and customers.

The expanded facility now accommodates the downstream conversion department, enhancing the company’s pouching and bagging capabilities for both bag-in-box and FMCG production. This site also is home to CTP Flexibles’ Liquid Technical Services division – a value-added arm that designs, builds and upgrades bespoke liquid-filling equipment for pillow bags ranging from one litre to 250 litres.

‘We’ve built strong capabilities in bag and pouch production – from flat formats and stand-up pouches to custom pillow bags,’ Raymond notes. ‘This enables us to offer not only packaging but integrated solutions, including custom-built filling lines, technical support and training.’

This integrated service model – described internally as a full-circle offering – reflects the company’s desire to be a long-term partner to customers, not just a supplier. ‘We want to support our customers’ operations with systems that work in the real world, that improve efficiencies and reduce waste,’ adds Paul. ‘It’s not just about the package but the process around it too.’