What started as a small, humble venture has grown into a regional manufacturer serving leading brands and industries across borders, powered by innovation, integrity and an unwavering commitment to quality.
Flowe-Pac’s journey has been one of resilience, learning and continuous evolution. Today, it stands as a fully integrated flexible packaging manufacturer, offering blown-film extrusion, high-definition flexographic printing, lamination, slitting, bag making and pouches under one roof.
The past five years have marked a period of rapid transformation and strategic investment for Flowe-Pac. Driven by a vision to compete on the African stage, the company has expanded its capabilities through major capital projects – including a BOBST Vision CI press, multiple new co-extrusion lines and enhanced lamination and slitting capacity. These investments have positioned Flowe-Pac as a modern, technology-driven packaging manufacturer capable of meeting the evolving needs of leading brands across Africa.
Flowe-Pac has adopted advanced systems such as gravimetric dosing, IBC controls and Smart GPS, enabling greater precision, efficiency and process consistency throughout its operations. Looking ahead, the company is preparing to install its second new BOBST Vision CI press in December 2025 and plans to implement extended colour gamut (ECG) technology. This will further elevate Flowe-Pac’s print capability, improving colour accuracy, reducing setup times and cutting ink and substrate waste.
Each new addition to Flowe-Pac’s production floor is a deliberate step towards smarter, more sustainable manufacturing that aligns with global standards while keeping its roots firmly in Pietermaritzburg.
The company has expanded its capabilities through major capital projects – including a BOBST Vision CI press, multiple new co-extrusion lines and enhanced lamination and slitting capacity.”
The power of teamwork
At the heart of Flowe-Pac’s success is its people. Its story has always been about more than machines – it’s about the men and women who make them count. ‘The dedication of our teams across production, maintenance, quality and management has built the foundation of our success,’ says managing director Anthony McCleary.
Anthony has always believed that he and Flowe-Pac are nothing without their dedicated staff. Their commitment, pride and professionalism have carried the company through every challenge and achievement. The Flowe-Pac team lives by the philosophy that ‘every day is an audit day’ – a mindset that ensures standards are not only maintained but continually raised.
‘This milestone belongs as much to every member of the team as it does to the company itself,’ Anthony asserts.
Commitment to quality
FSSC 22000 certification remains one of the strongest global assurances of food-safe production – an essential requirement for any packaging supplier serving the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. For manufacturers like Flowe-Pac, this accreditation reflects a disciplined commitment to hygiene, traceability, risk management and process control throughout every stage of extrusion, printing and bag making.
In an environment where retailers and brand owners face increasing pressure to guarantee consumer safety, partnering with an FSSC 22000-certified packaging producer provides confidence that their products are protected by world-class systems and rigorous standards.
At the same time, sustainability has become a defining priority in the flexible packaging space, and leading manufacturers are embracing a more circular approach to plastics. Flowe-Pac is actively investing in strategies such as downgauging films, incorporating recycled content, reducing internal scrap through controlled processes and promoting responsible end-of-life solutions through partnerships as well as its own recycling plant.
By modernising equipment, optimising energy use and redesigning packaging from non-recyclable to recyclable constructions, Flowe-Pac demonstrates how a packaging business can remain competitive while contributing meaningfully to a more sustainable future.
Flowing forward
‘Flowe-Pac’s success has been shaped by the partnerships we’ve nurtured along the way. Our long-standing relationships with both customers and suppliers have played a vital role in our evolution,’ says Anthony.
He believes growth is best achieved through collaboration – where transparency, reliability and a shared vision turn supply chains into partnerships. ‘These relationships have helped us meet industry expectations and, in many cases, exceed them.’
As Flowe-Pac celebrates this milestone, it does so not as a finish line but as a point of reflection and renewed purpose. ‘The next five years will be defined by innovation, sustainability, trusted industry partnerships and setting new standards,’ Anthony asserts. ‘Our ambition is to continue building Flowe-Pac into a true centre of excellence for flexible packaging in Africa, driven by technology, quality and people who care deeply about what they do.’
Flowe-Pac remains committed to investing in talent, technology and trusted relationships – the three pillars that have carried it this far.
‘To our customers, thank you for your trust and partnership. To our suppliers, thank you for your support and innovation. To our team, thank you for making every day count. And to my wife, Louisa, thank you for standing beside me through every challenge and every triumph.’
Flowe-Pac’s 25-year journey has proven that when passion meets purpose, anything is possible. As the company looks ahead, it does so with gratitude, pride and a renewed drive to keep the Flowe-Pac story flowing forward – stronger, smarter and more united than ever before.
