'Sawubona' to Sandile

A world of opportunities
June 2012
Mee
‘Sawubona’
to Sandile
Sandile Ngwabi is Astrapak’s
new Group financial
manager. Unpacked did a
little digging and found a
man who’s committed to
maximising his career…
Astrapak’s new Group financial
manager, Sandile Ngwabi, is
no stranger to hard work. Since
matriculating from Sivananda High
School in KwaZulu-Natal 10 years ago
– with distinctions in maths, business
economics, economics and accounting
– he’s been hard at the books and it’s
paid off.
The first phase was studying. Sandile
scooped his B.Com Accounting
(honours) degree from the University
of KZN in 2006, and quickly went on to
qualify for his professional designation –
the internationally respected CA(SA) in
2009. He’s currently working on his CFA
(chartered financial analyst) and will be
writing Part 2 in a few weeks’ time.
Next came his career. Sandile had
already kicked that off as an audit
trainee for Deloitte & Touche in
Durban, and went on to join Murray &
Roberts in Johannesburg as a financial
accountant in 2010. In February 2012 he
was lured to Astrapak, and jumped into
the deep end with a financial year-end
in progress.
‘It was quite a challenge arriving when
I did,’ says Sandile, ‘but thanks to the
financial systems and procedures
that have been introduced over
the last two years or so, it went
remarkably smoothly. I’m excited
at the opportunity to work in a busy
environment and hope that I have a
long-term future with the Group. Once
I’ve done some time in the financial
space, I’d like to get some operational
experience and see if I have what
it takes from that perspective of
management.’
Sandile is doubtless going to make his
mark in business in the years ahead –
let’s hope it’s at Astrapak!
in this
issue ...
Consupaq WCM trainer
wins award
5
Grabbing opportunity with
both hands
8 Meet our new people 11
person
ASTRAPAK NEWS 1

Marco moves into a new role
My term as CEO concluded
at the end of May but I’m
pleased to say that I’ll be
continuing in a consultancy role into
the future.
The nuts and bolts of running the Group
are now firmly under Manley’s control,
and I wish him well in his new position.
He’s an experienced man who knows
the company well and I know that
he’ll bring much
value and new
energy to the
acting chief
executive
position.
The four
years since my
appointment in
June 2008 seem
to have gone
by in a flash
and probably
coincided
with one of
the toughest
economic
downturns
this
country
– and
most
of the
developed world – has experienced in
decades.
While it’s been a tough run and some
difficult decisions had to be made, I
do believe that Astrapak is in a good
position to take advantage of what
appears to be a very slow return to a
new kind of ‘normality’ – and I put that
word in inverted commas because I
think normal as we knew it no longer
exists. Business has changed forever.
I’d like to express my gratitude to the
many people I’ve worked with since
becoming part of Astrapak at its
inception. There’ve been some low
points but they’re far outnumbered by
the highs. I’ve met many people who
have become loyal friends, and there
are loads of memories that will be with
me forever.
I wish everyone a brilliant future with
Astrapak and hope that your career
dreams come true. I think the years
ahead, while challenging at times,
will prove to be good for Africa’s best
plastic packaging Group.
Regards
Marco Baglione
June 2012
Astrapak Board
announces
senior
management
changes
Towards the end of
May the Astrapak
Board announced the
movement of Marco
Baglione from chief executive
officer to a consultancy position
within the Group. This resulted in
the appointment of chief financial
officer Manley Diedloff as acting
chief executive officer while the
search for a full-time replacement
is completed.
Marco will make his experience
and industry knowledge available
to us in his new position, while
Manley’s vast experience at senior
and Board level will benefit the
Group in this interim phase.
2
ASTRAPAK NEWS

Message from the CEO’s office
I’m looking forward to the opportunity of
serving as acting CEO to the company
and people who’ve become such an
integrated part of my life.
After 15 years with Astrapak, I find it difficult
to separate work and ‘normal’ life, but I
wouldn’t have it any other way. To me,
Astrapak has always stayed true to its
slogan, ‘A World of Opportunities’, and I
hope that I can play a small part over the
next few months in steering the business
in a direction that will afford the same
opportunities to its employees.
I’ve been asked by many to advise what
the role of an acting CEO entails. On
a responsibility level, it’s no different to
that of a permanent CEO and requires
the same degree of commitment. Until
such time as the Board concludes its
search process and makes a permanent
appointment, I will proudly steer the
business to the best of my abilities.
potentially those of the company
and its people. It will allow me
to engage more broadly with
employees and other stakeholders,
and I hope to be successful in the
promotion of the brand and reestablishing
a sense of pride in the
business I treasure so much.
I really appreciate the support
and good wishes I’ve received
from the Board, executive
team and many employees
and ex-employees. Please
rest assured that I will
remain true to Astrapak’s
principles and values, and
will continue to drive the
business with purpose
and passion.
Regards
I’m looking forward to the challenges
and opportunities that the role will bring,
and to expanding my own horizons and
Manley Diedloff
June 2012
All about Manley
Manley Diedloff joined Astrapak in 1998 as Group
accountant when there were only five companies
in the Group. He’s held various positions within Astrapak,
including Group financial manager, Group commercial
manager and business development director. He was
appointed to the Board in 2005, and in December 2008
became Chief Financial Officer.
Manley grew up in Grahamstown. He studied accounting
at the University of Stellenbosch and, once he’d
completed his articles, spent some time overseas
where he worked for HSBC bank as an internal auditor.
On returning to South Africa, he joined Grinaker
Construction as an accountant before moving to
Astrapak.
Manley is married to Leigh-Ann, a SuperSport presenter,
and they have three children, Gabriella, Jack and Sam.
Both are avid sportspeople with several marathons and a
Comrades or two under their belts.
ASTRAPAK NEWS 3

The financial year in review
The financial year ending
February 2012 has been
one of the toughest in
Astrapak’s existence,
one that shareholders
aren’t particularly happy
about and one that we
as a Group don’t want to
repeat.
While turnover was up a
marginal 3.4% to R2.518 billion
over the previous year, this
was mainly on the back of increased
selling prices – in fact, volumes through
our plants were down 1.1%.
Increasing production costs – primarily
because of higher raw material, energy
and labour charges – were one of the
main reasons behind an almost 50%
drop in profits. However, I’m pleased
to report that costs associated with
selling, administration and distribution
overheads rose a marginal 0.6%, thanks
to everyone who did their bit to keep
these costs in check.
The main reasons contributing to
our less-than-satisfactory financial
performance were:
• A continuing generally soft
economic climate, which kept
consumers under pressure and with
little extra disposable income.
• Decreased volumes in the market,
which kept competitive activity at
fever pitch, with many sacrificing
price just to keep their plants
running.
• The industry-wide strikes in July
2011, which affected almost all of
Astrapak’s operations, and those
of many of our customers once we
were back at work!
• The supply of raw materials
was problematic, which led to
stock-outs and, in some cases,
overstocking at higher prices.
• The decision in the second half of
the year to reduce the number of
Flexible operations, which incurred
significant one-off charges through
the early termination of leases,
close-down trading losses and
retrenchment costs. A total of five
operations have been reduced
in size, merged with others or
discontinued.
• A thorough assessment of all the
Group’s assets was done. The writedown
of some assets affected the
bottom line.
Lower profits, costs associated with
the strategy to reduce the Flexibles
footprint, the decision to continue with
the R265.9-million capital expenditure
programme and increasing inventory
levels to cope with erratic supply – these
had a real impact on our gearing,
with our net debt increasing to R500.3
million from R340.2 million in the previous
year. This situation was aggravated by
customers extending payment terms,
and our net working capital increased
by 6.3%, which represents a 50-day net
working capital cycle compared to
our target of 45 days. We’ll continue
to focus on cash generation, prudent
capital allocation, and treasury and
working capital management activities
to normalise these aspects over the next
few months.
Looking forward, there appears to be
no short-term fix for the bigger issues
facing us: consumers, who’re the
end-users of almost every product we
manufacture, will continue to be under
financial pressure over the next year.
Fuel prices are at their highest levels
ever recorded, electricity prices are
about to go through their fourth yearon-year
double-digit increase, and food
costs are outstripping published inflation
levels.
Having said that, there are reasons to
be optimistic.
• We’ve invested heavily in new
technologically advanced
equipment in many operations.
• There are a number of new projects
that should start during this year.
• We’ve reduced our operational
footprint cost base.
• The new equipment should see
increased volumes through fewer
plants at higher efficiency and with
improved quality and reduced
waste.
• Our roll-out of World Class
Manufacturing continues and
real positive results are being
experienced around the Group.
• Transformation, training and staff
development are continuing
priorities as we strive to ensure
that our people are suitably
trained and capable of dealing
with an increasingly competitive
marketplace.
It’s been a tough year and there’ll
be no free rides in the one to come.
But the fundamentals are in place.
We need to work as a team to
implement our financial 2013 and
restore Astrapak as the country’s
leading plastic packaging
manufacturer.
4
ASTRAPAK NEWS

Consupaq WCM
trainer wins award
Trust Ndlela, World Class
Manufacturing facilitator and
trainer at Consupaq, was
nominated for an award at this
year’s round of conferences
for his exceptional talent
in communicating WCM
principles to all levels of
employees within the business,
specifically to shopfloor staff.
He tells Unpacked a bit more
about the challenges.
As part of any World Class
Manufacturing (WCM) journey,
a few people are chosen
to become trainers, responsible for
upskilling the shopfloor team. Most of
these new trainers don’t have any prior
training background, so not only do
they need to learn all aspects of WCM,
they also have to understand how to
train adults.
Trust Ndlela, WCM trainer and facilitator
at Consupaq, says that there’s a lot
of hard work that goes into it after
hours – preparation of material is a key
element. But that’s just the beginning.
Trust Ndlela receives his award from KZN regional chief executive Gareth Elcox.
a team, self-discipline and drive,’ says
Trust, whose own learning curve was
hands-on, with exposure to operations
and production management skills, and
the opportunity to learn at first hand
how a successful business operates.
Looking back at the progress Consupaq
has made since implementing WCM
in 2009, Trust says, ‘There’s been a
cultural shift. We challenge each other
to think and behave in a way that
reflects our goal of being a worldclass
company. The common vision
environment. The business has grown
and is set to grow and become even
more successful.’
Trust’s biggest challenge as a trainer is
‘interacting with people who have little
previous exposure to formal training,
and expect little or no benefit from the
training’. The reward? ‘Seeing the same
people having grown in confidence
because they’ve done what they
thought wasn’t possible, which is to
learn something new that will indeed
benefit them.’
‘A good facilitator must be an inspiring
visionary. He must be able to translate
and simplify the vision to all in such a
way that learners understand and buy
into it.’ – Trust Ndlela
Good communication skills are vital,
and aspects such as body language
and vocal skills can make or break a
session, he says.
‘The skills required from a facilitator
are good communication skills, good
listening skills, the ability to work within
of World Class Manufacturing has
pulled our efforts together as opposed
to previous segmented efforts. That
shared vision is the fundamental
driver of all our endeavours, from the
factory to operations and through to
human resources. It’s a cleaner, safer,
more efficient and pleasing work
He believes that the most important
ingredient in being a top trainer is
passion. ‘When a trainer is excited and
passionate about the WCM process, this
enthusiasm comes through in everything
that’s said and done, and this is a surefire
way to ignite the same passion in
learners.’
And Trust has clearly been successful.
He earned his award for his exceptional
talent in communicating WCM
principles to all levels of employees
within the business, and specifically to
shopfloor staff, by adapting textbook
knowledge into a format that makes
sense to them. The success of his
efforts is clearly evident in the overall
performance by Consupaq in WCM
practices.
ASTRAPAK NEWS
5

Marcom goes large
Marcom Plastics has grown its turnover by
more than 25% per year over the last three
years. This is thanks partly to the acquisition
and commissioning of several new projects,
but is also a credit to its sales team.
On the production floor, from left: Phillip Kolokoto, Jaco du Plooy, Braam Cloete and John Shabangu.
Located in Rosslyn, on the northeastern
periphery of Pretoria,
Marcom was established in 1994
to manufacture unprinted thinwalled
yoghurt containers for the dairy
industry. But it was the introduction of
in-mould labelling (IML) in 2005, coupled
with an uncompromising commitment
to outstanding customer service, that
ignited sales, says newly appointed
general manager Gerhard van Reenen.
‘IML represented a huge step forward
in decoration capabilities compared
to conventional printing at the time,’
he explains. ‘The ability to reproduce
to the highest photographic quality an
image of fruit on a yoghurt container
was proven to be a great stimulator for
consumer demand. In fact, our large
national customers experienced a jump
of just less than 10% in sales when they
introduced IML containers, and this
increased to more than 50% for many
of our smaller customers where the
upgrade was even more marked.’
Marcom has just completed a
multimillion-rand expansion to cater
for a huge influx of new business for
Unilever, one of the world’s leading fastmoving
consumer-goods companies.
The conversion of an existing warehouse
into a dedicated production facility and
the installation of new equipment were
completed ahead of schedule, and
the company is now producing huge
volumes of margarine tubs and lids
per day in a variety of sizes – four
months before the original anticipated
start date.
Taking on a client of Unilever’s stature
isn’t for the fainthearted, however.
‘Fortunately, we have an extremely
committed workforce here at Marcom,’
says Gerhard. ‘Everyone has embraced
the challenge and the new production
facility is running well.’
A cornerstone of Marcom’s success
has been the way the sales team
has approached its customers over
the years. Gerhard explains that they’ve
always attempted to understand
their customers, the business they
operate in and the challenges they
face on a daily basis. ‘It’s about
listening, asking the right questions
and identifying opportunities where
you can help improve a situation. In a
number of cases we’ve secured the
order not on the basis of our product
price but on how we’ve managed
to identify and rectify a problem in
the filling process, even taking out a
customer’s machine and modifying it
to work faster and with fewer problems.
This creates a sense of faith, where the
relationship changes from a supplier/
customer one to a partnership where
each party has a vested interest in the
other’s success.’
Marcom’s approach to Unilever came
about to counter the seasonal nature
of the demand for dairy products,
especially yoghurt. ‘The fact that we
were already doing work for a bluechip
company like Parmalat helped
tremendously when we approached
Unilever,’ says Gerhard. ‘But it was our
ability to introduce sophisticated new
multi-cavity moulds that brought our unit
manufacturing cost down considerably
and, together with great quality, that
eventually secured us the business.’
While acknowledging that securing
the Unilever business was a feather in
Marcom’s cap, Gerhard emphasises
that continuing to meet very high
standards is a priority. ‘It takes years to
build a positive reputation and a few
quick mistakes to destroy it,’ he points
out. ‘We’ve earned massive respect in
the marketplace because of the good
work we’ve done, and our priority going
forward is to build on that.’
One of the ways Marcom is doing
this is to continue involving the entire
workforce. ‘With a team-based
approach, you can achieve anything,’
says Gerhard.
6
ASTRAPAK NEWS

Proud of our people
Marcom’s success is due not least to
the commitment of its staff, and it’s
notable that almost all the people who
joined at start-up in 1994 are still with the
company.
John Shabangu was looking for casual
work when he was offered a position
as a sweeper in 1994. Two years later,
he was promoted to team leader
and he’s subsequently moved to the
mould-changing department. ‘It can
be heavy and tough work,’ he says.
‘The moulds have to be treated with
the utmost care and everything has
to be in perfect alignment. If I do my
job properly, it enables the machine
operator to work at peak capacity,
ensuring that we meet both quality and
production targets.’
was a small company on a growth
curve and there was no place for
fancy titles or individualism.’ Jaco
recalls the introduction of IML as being
a real challenge. ‘We were the first
company in the country to attempt to
apply 12 labels at once, using a system
that was made up of unmatched
equipment from different suppliers. In
retrospect, we were probably a little
crazy to even think about it, but we
managed in the end thanks to input
from our international technology
partners Shalom Packaging.’
Technical manager and 12-year
veteran Jaco du Plooy started out
looking after general maintenance.
He’s witnessed tremendous changes
over the years. ‘In the beginning we
all had to do everything, because it
Examples of the new margarine tubs manufactured by Marcom Plastics.
Looking to the East
The recently acquired Unilever business
entailed commissioning a specialist
Chinese engineering factory to make
the sophisticated moulds to Marcom’s
stringent requirements. Technical
manager Jaco du Plooy visited China
on several occasions in order to make
this happen – and it proved to be quite
a cultural experience for the ‘boytjie’
from Pretoria!
‘Communicating was a challenge
at first but thanks to the assistance
of a translator we soon established a
method of understanding each other
– some of the more technical terms
proved to be problematic, though. Also,
being a ‘‘meat and potatoes’’ kind of
guy, the food was an initial obstacle
for me. I learned not to venture very
far from the establishments that were
western oriented, as it was often difficult
to establish exactly what some of the
items on the menu were!’
Nonetheless, Jaco highly recommends
China as a destination. ‘It’s a
fascinating place with a strong service
culture, work ethic and willingness to
go the extra mile – nothing was too
much trouble. They’re keen to learn,
eager to please and not hamstrung by
hierarchy – they just want to get the job
done. Once you’ve experienced the
work environment, you can understand
why the Chinese economy is growing at
such a fast rate compared to the rest of
the world.’
‘The relationship changes from
a supplier/customer one to a
partnership where each party has
a vested interest in the other’s
success.’
ASTRAPAK NEWS 7

Grabbing opportunity
with both hands
A short-term transfer proved to be the catalyst for Natasha
Benson to take her career in a whole new direction.
Natasha Benson was employed
as a personal assistant to the
GM when she was temporarily
seconded to the internal sales
department. Her boss, Gavin Coppin,
national sales manager, recalls, ‘A
few years ago Plastform was in a
predicament as both of the then
internal salesladies resigned at the same
time. Natasha stepped in and, in spite
of trying times, managed to assist our
customers by capturing their orders and
arranging deliveries on time.’
The move to a customer-facing role
suited her personality and it wasn’t long
before she was asked to take over the
marketing and public-relations functions
and, more recently, new product
development. ‘I really enjoy dealing
with people, and I think I’m quite good
at it,’ says the self-assured Natasha. ‘I
think I’ve found my niche in this new
role but it hasn’t been easy. I’ve had to
study along the way to prepare myself
for the demands of these important
functions: first I did a PR course, and last
year I completed a one-year diploma
in packaging through the Institute of
Packaging of South Africa.’
New product development is an
important part of Astrapak’s vision
of becoming the country’s leading
supplier of plastic packaging. Existing
or potential clients normally approach
the company requesting some kind of
specialised packaging, and this starts
off an intensive and comprehensive
research process.
All the relevant details of the proposed
container are established, including
size, special properties and machinery.
A search determines if there are any
existing products in the range that might
meet the client’s needs. If not, a study
is conducted into potential volumes
and the cost of new tooling, and cost
estimates are developed. If the client is
satisfied with the estimates, prototypes
of the new product are made. Once
the customer is 100% satisfied that the
concept meets his needs, he signs off
and the production runs commence.
‘The process from concept to
production can take as little as 8 to 12
weeks but it can be quite a lot longer in
some instances,’ says Natasha.
She says that the IPSA diploma has
been an important aspect in preparing
her for her new role. ‘Advising clients
on types of plastic and production
methods can be quite intimidating,
but once you’ve been through the
programme, you’re well equipped to
deal with almost any query.’
Part of the diploma’s requirements is
the completion of a packaging project,
where the student must develop a new
product from scratch, together with
a complete report on the need and
marketing rationale, through to how it
will be made and from what materials.
Natasha developed a five-portion tray
for instant oats named Good 2 Go!
Uniquely innovative was the inclusion
of disposable spoons – one for each
portion – in the tray. Natasha was
nominated for the Student Gold Pack
National Awards and
won an award for
her report submission.
Natasha is clearly
aiming for even
higher honours:
she’s now
embarked on
a three-year
marketing
diploma
through the
Institute of
Marketing
Management.
‘I’d certainly
encourage
anyone
working in Astrapak to take advantage
of the courses on offer,’ she says. ‘The
extra commitment does take some
juggling and there are times when
you’re not sure how you’re going to
cope with the assignments, but the new
knowledge is something you will have
forever and it enables you to become
an even more valuable asset to the
company and your clients.’
Says Gavin, ‘Natasha has always
gone the extra mile. She’s wanted to
understand the whole process, to grow
and learn more about packaging.
In spite of a heavy work schedule,
she’s done extremely well in her
courses. Astrapak encourages those
with the aptitude and willingness to
grow and develop themselves, and
assists by paying for their studies. The
only proviso is that they have to work
for the company for two years after
completion of their studies.’
It’s a challenge to go back to the books but worth
every moment, says Plastform’s Natasha Benson.
8
ASTRAPAK NEWS

Still in play:
Harry Phiri
After three decades in the
business, Harry Phiri has seen
Plastform through several ups and
downs. Now, he says, ‘This industry
has a great future.’
When Man United fan Harry Phiri joined the company in the early 1980s,
his time-clock number was 8. ‘Focus on what you’re doing and the rewards
will come; employees who are diligent get recognised,’ he says.
Harry Phiri is a solid guy: he’s lived
in the same house for 26 years,
been married to the same
woman for 28 years and worked at
Plastform for 32 years.
But it didn’t start out all roses. When
Harry first joined Plastform in 1980, he
only lasted a few months: he was fired
for taking the day off to commemorate
the 16 June Soweto riots. Fortunately
for everyone, the following year the
managing director offered him his job
back and Harry, now forming manager,
hasn’t looked back.
‘I started out as an operator when the
business was located in Observatory
and moved through all the departments
– extrusion, forming, printing and
logistics – before settling in forming.
It was a dynamic little business but
the company hit hard times in the
’80s: increasing competition, poor
manufacturing standards and virtually
no quality control nearly saw the
doors close permanently. World Class
Manufacturing wasn’t a phrase that
had even been invented back then.’
He recalls being told by his manager
at the time: ‘If the container can stand
upright, send it out!’
The company had already outgrown
its Observatory premises by then, and a
devastating fire that destroyed the plant
proved to be a blessing in disguise,
necessitating a move to larger premises
in Lansdowne, where it remains today.
Harry has seen technology change
over the years, from four-cavity moulds
performing 8 to 10 cycles per minute to
20 cavity moulds completing 30 cycles
now. Materials have also changed:
the introduction of polyprop in the ’80s
brought a huge number of headaches:
it was a material that they weren’t used
to dealing with, there was a lot of waste
and injuries were frequent.
Not only that, but machine setters
retained all the knowledge to make
a piece of equipment work at peak
performance in their brain, and without
that person’s input, a machine would
frequently be idle. ‘Previously, machine
operators had minimal education
and few responsibilities,’ Harry recalls.
‘Nowadays, all new equipment requires
some sort of computer literacy, and
responsibilities including the writing of
reports and even presentations to
team members.’
The company went through another
period of instability when Astrapak
first came into the picture but the
implementation of World Class
Manufacturing was the catalyst for
staff at all levels to come together
as a team, with outstanding results.
Investment in new extrusion and
thermoforming equipment has also
contributed to staff feeling that there’s
a secure future in the company.
A career highlight for this father of
two was his first trip overseas on an
equipment fact-finding trip that took the
team on a 14-connecting-flight journey
– quite daunting for someone who’d
never set foot in an aircraft before.
Outside of the office Harry is a soccer
fanatic: a Manchester United fan
since 1977, he’s the chairperson of
the Cape Town branch of the official
Manchester United Supporters Club.
In addition to being a rallying point for
fans to watch games, the club is also
active in the community, undertaking
fundraising and other upliftment
projects. They recently worked with
the Reach for a Dream Foundation
to facilitate a meeting between
a terminally ill child and a visiting
Manchester United player.
After three decades in the business,
Harry has some advice for people
entering the industry: ‘Do your job to the
best of your ability, and don’t be scared
to take responsibility. Take advantage
of the training opportunities that are
offered. Don’t be discouraged by
obstacles but see them as opportunities
to create a new path forward.’
ASTRAPAK NEWS 9

Clearing
the cobwebs
When Marius Murray
turned up for his first
4km time trial, his fellow
athletes stared at him
in disbelief. Eighteen
months later, he’s
hooked on running.
Marcom Plastics’ key account
manager Marius Murray took
almost half an hour to run
his first 4km time trial – not surprisingly,
as he weighed 154kg at the time. But,
with the support of his fellow runners at
Overkruin Athletics Club in Pretoria, he’s
now clocking up at least 70km a month,
in both training and races, and enjoying
the benefits. These include weight loss,
an improved physique and a resting
heart rate that dropped by 30 beats a
minute within just three months. ‘That’s a
mammoth 43 300 beats a day,’ Marius
says. ‘Just imagine the saving on the life
span of my heart!’
And the advantages of being healthy
are coming through in his work life too
– he exceeded his sales target for 12
months in a row in the last financial year,
as well as more than doubling his client
base. ‘I think running really clears the
cobwebs,’ he says.
Although Marius, now 40, was a regular
runner and a keen golfer when he was
younger, he stopped doing sport when
‘life happened’. It was only when he
became fed up with feeling sluggish all
the time as a result of being overweight
that he took the advice of his brother
– a keen runner with eight Comrades
under his belt – and joined Overkruin
Athletics Club.
Within months he had run his first 5km
race; 10km followed, and by May last
year he was running in 21km races.
‘Doing the Two Oceans half-marathon
was a dream come true,’ he says. ‘To
It’s thumbs-up from Marius Murray at the conclusion of his first Two Oceans earlier
this year.
stand among 17 000 trained hopefuls at
the start was amazing.’
His fellow runners at Overkruin are his
support structure. ‘Having been in sales
all my life, I appreciate the company of
all sorts of people around me – it’s the
spice of life,’ he says. ‘We support each
other, joke around, and most of all share
a passion for sweating hard to enjoy
that first cold one after the run.’
Marius wants to do a 42.2km run, but
first, he says, he needs to lose another
20kg. ‘Then, who knows? Maybe the
Comrades….’
10
ASTRAPAK NEWS

Meet our new people person
Mefane Makhutla is Astrapak’s new Group Human Resources executive.
Unpacked asked him a few questions and discovered a person who’s
passionate about people.
MMefane Makhutla is man with
a calling. ‘From an early age,
I’d play a psychologist role,’
he recalls: ‘people my age and older
would always approach me for some
form of advice or assistance whenever
they encountered personal challenges
in life.’
It’s no surprise, then, that once he’d
matriculated, he pursued a career in
human resources management.
He holds a B.Com (Hons) in HR
Management from the University of
Johannesburg, and has completed
a Management Advancement
Programme and the Executive
Development Programme through
Wits Business School. His career dates
back to 1998, when he started working
as a trainee HR consultant at Alpha
(Afrisam); he then joined the National
Treasury as HRD manager, followed by
group employee relations specialist for
Anglo-Platinum and Group HR manager
for Royal Bafokeng Holdings, before
being snapped up by Astrapak.
‘I think our
ultimate
success lies
with our
people.’
Mefane feels strongly that HR
development (HRD) is a cornerstone
to every organisation. ‘Through HRD,
the organisation is able to re-invent
itself in order to deliver on its mandate.
Employees are also afforded an
opportunity to realise their full potential,
thus meeting their career objectives in
the long term.’
As Astrapak’s HR executive, an
immediate challenge for Mefane is to
develop a Group HR strategy. ‘I think
Astrapak has got the required capacity
in terms of machinery, systems and
technology,’ he says. ‘We now need
to support all these efforts through
strengthening the current human
capital capacity. I think our ultimate
success lies with our people. Everybody
here is willing to go the extra mile in
making this company a success; people
are ready to embrace the change
required to take Astrapak to the next
level of performance. They just want to
be given the right tools in order to get
there.’
The challenge is perfect for this man,
who believes that the hurdles in life are
there to prepare us ‘to tackle every
situation with courage and confidence’.
This extremely busy man uses his
spare time to ‘read newspapers and
management journals, and meet friends
and other professionals as a way of
creating and maintaining networks’. He
admits that he does also have some
genuine downtime: ‘I relax by spending
some time at the gym - believe it or not!
- and I sometimes go to chisa nyama
to have a bit of pap and vleis on a very
quiet Sunday afternoon after enjoying
my moment in church.’
Mefane Makhutla in full cry at the regional conference in Durban.
ASTRAPAK NEWS 11

Front, from left: Tarryn van der Westhuizen, Urissa Naidoo, Dave Tyler,
Anesh Mohanlall, Nils Osberg and Tyrone Nadasen. Middle, from left: Desre
Arthur, Michelle Diamond, Zamani Chonco, Calvin Annandham and Yogan
Ponnusamy. Back, from left: Sifiso Mkize, Veon Chetty and Collin Perumal.
Gareth Elcox hands over the Employee of the Year Award
to Paul Nell.
Jason Page receives his award from Gareth Elcox.
Winners one and all
At the Astrapak regional conference in March, five worthy
employees walked off with well-deserved awards.
business is only as strong as its weakest
A employee, and if the accolades
handed out at the regional conference
held in March are anything to go by,
Astrapak is very strong indeed.
Paul Nell, Pak 2000’s system administrator
and a key member of the Pak 2000
management team, was recognised
as the Pak 2000 employee of the year.
His understanding and administration
of the Syspro system has been faultless,
and Paul has dedicated many hours of
his own time to ensure that it maintains
a high degree of information accuracy.
His efforts have given the Pak 2000 team
the edge in managing itself as a business
and its feedback on critical info to our
market base.
Jason Page from Consupaq, who was
recently appointed regional IT manager
for KwaZulu-Natal, received an award for
his exceptional achievement in creating
and designing online tools for the KZN
region, which are now being rolled out
to the entire Group.
Jerrald Pillay, who was recently
promoted to factory manager,
was awarded for his operational
excellence. Jerrald has shown
enormous strides in operations, WCM,
supply chain and overall continued
improvement. He has a dedicated,
hands-on approach to problem
solving and getting the job done, and
inspires a good work ethic throughout
the factory.
Zamani Chonco and Anesh
Mohanlall, both from Plastop
KZN, won recognition for high levels
of people and operational
management growth, exceptional
cost control, project management
for commissioning one of the country’s
first high-speed shrink-sleeving
production lines in record-breaking
time, displaying the highest level
of commitment to their work and
promoting teamwork.
Trust Ndlela, WCM trainer at Consupaq,
earned his award for his exceptional
talent in communicating WCM
principles to all levels of employees
within the business. Read more about
Trust on page 5.
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ASTRAPAK NEWS