Business South October 2020

| 65 MANUFACTURING Pack Tech Moulding www.primaplas.com.au +64 9580 1792 Proud to be associated with Packtech Moulding The experts in resin and film distribution to leading NZ manufacturers HAMBURGER TRANSPORT LTD Proud to be associated with Packtech Moulding. METRO TRANSPORT · WAREHOUSING & STORAGE · CONTAINER DEVANNING www.hamburgertransport.co.nz 0274 387 766 office@hamburgertransport.co.nz I njection and extrusion blow moulded prod- uct designer and manufacturer Pack Tech Moulding is seeing some growing markets resulting from the effects of Covid-19 and the changes it has brought to our daily lives. At its Rolleston premises, Pack Tech designs innovative plastic packaging solutions to meet the needs of its customers. It also manufactures and stocks a range of supplement, industrial, and food packaging from its certified critical hygiene facility, ena - bling the production of both food grade and non-food grade products. General manager Chris Williams says when he first bought in to Pack Tech in 2008, the world was hit with the Global Financial Crisis. “One of the things I learned then, was peo- ple still eat and people still get sick regardless of what the local or global economy is doing. “These areas see only minimum changes in tight times, and a lot of the markets we’re in have generated really good results for us.” Pack Tech is the only New Zealand manu- facturer of packaging that goes in pharmacies, and through Covid, this market has gone through the roof as people focus more on their personal health. Some long term Pack Tech customers have looked at the hand sanitiser market and seen an increase in the use of soap and hand sani- tiser of perhaps up to 2.5 times. “The market is going to be at least double, and we’re working on some really good pro- jects for cleaning and sanitisation packaging, that are gaining real traction.” During Covid, the pump and spray com- ponentry for these dispensers, which aren’t made in New Zealand, had long lead times from Asia. Not prepared to be left behind, Pack Tech changed its procurement channels and creat- Packaging output reflects changing times TT Kelly Deeks Pack Tech designs innovative plastic packaging solutions to meet the needs of its customers. ed direct relationships with Chinese manufac- turers, taking as many loops out of the supply chain as it could and managing the risk itself. Also going crazy during Covid were meal kit home delivery services, for which Pack Tech provides food packaging containers. Chris says there is a huge appetite in this space amongst consumers and it is getting more competitive all the time, and growing along with the massive drift towards general online shopping. Woop and My Food Bag are two New Zea- land owned companies Pack Tech is proud to support. As a plastics manufacturer, Pack Tech is conscious of the material’s reputation for environmental harm, but also of how it has been a saving grace for the ever-increasing importance of product safety. Chris says it is what happens to the packaging after it has been used that’s most important. “There are some good initiatives coming from the Government, which include making changes around kerbside recycling and prod- uct stewardship programmes. “Right now, it doesn’t matter if you use a compostable cup or not because there is no infrastructure in New Zealand to deal with it anyway. “We will see some big changes in this space in the coming years.” Pack Tech is currently working with an iconic Kiwi brand in the cleaning space which is refocusing on being New Zealand made. “We’ve got a project where together we’re focusing on the whole package. “The plastic bottle being made out of recycled milk bottles coming out of the New Zealand kerbside waste stream. “It’s a Kiwi company using Kiwi waste to make a Kiwi bottle, and we are very excited about that.”