KENYA – KHS, an international manufacturer of filling and packaging equipment for the beverage, food, and non-food sectors, has broken ground for the construction of state-of-the-art center in Kenya.

The regional hub, targeted to serve the East African community will feature a number of training and conference rooms, offices and a large warehouse for spare parts and installation tools.

It is scheduled for completion in 2022, indicated KHS on a LinkedIn post.

“Our growing KHS team will be perfectly positioned to continue its role as the reliable local partner on the East African market,” stated the company.

KHS with headquarters in Germany, has its other sites located in the USA, India, Brazil, China and Mexico.

The company provides modern, reliable and highly efficient turnkey lines, individual machines and conversions for filling and packaging in glass, PET, kegs, and cans.

“Our growing KHS team will be perfectly positioned to continue its role as the reliable local partner on the East African market.”

KHS

The African region is an important market for the manufacturing giant, especially for the PET lines, which according to KHS the segment has strong growth.

This is due to the fact that, inlike empty cans, PET is readily available throughout the whole of Africa – and PET systems require much less capital than glass lines as the sum of investment is lower.

Small and medium-sized startups thus focus on PET lines, allowing them to generate turnover very quickly.

“The glass segment is firmly in the hands of our financially strong global key accounts, among them AB InBev, Heineken, Coca-Cola, Diageo, Pepsi and Groupe Castel, that have been present and established in Africa and the Middle East for decades,” said Markus Auinger, executive vice-president for Market Zone Middle East/Africa.

Auinger further highlights that the increasing demand for soft drinks in the Sub-Sahara, has led to the growth of its PET container segment.

KHS makes significant progress in protecting the environment

Other than expanding its market presence, the manufacturing giant has reported great progress in reducing the impact of its operations and those of its customers in its fourth voluntary sustainability report.

According to the Dortmund company, its sites in Germany have saved a total of 10,868 metric tons of CO 2 emissions in 2019 and 2020.

Apart from helping cutting its own carbon footprint, KHS has also been creating an innovative solution that helps its customers cut down on their own footprint.

InnoPET Blomax Series V stretch blow molder is one example of innovations highlighted in the report that have less impact on the environment.

According to KHS, InnoPET Blomax Series V stretch blow molder cuts energy consumption by up to 40% and by making effective use of materials also saves up to 10% in PET, thus conserving valuable resources.

The Nature MultiPack that doesn’t need any shrink film is another example of innovation that reduces plastic waste.

Other examples include Plasmax, which is currently the only recyclable barrier for plastic bottles that enables PET to be recycled by type and the option of wrapping beverage cans in paper or bundling them into packs with a cardboard clip.  

The company also reports having made progress in light weighting, namely reducing the weight of and amount of material used in a PET bottle.