Bottle Printers expands to shorten packaging supply chain

Bottle Printers of South Africa has conventionally been known for the obvious – printing and decoration directly on to plastic and glass bottles as well as rigid substrates. The company believes in continual growth within the markets it serves while concentrating on broader development. 

Over the last few years, Bottle Printers has expanded in areas of packaging supply where its current customer base experienced supply chain difficulties. These various expansion avenues are bolted-on to the company’s existing knowledge and expertise.  

Catering to the cosmetic, personal care, beverage and promotional industries, the additions to Bottle Printers armoury minimise third and fourth party roles in the supply chain, providing a streamlined approach to any customer wishing to launch or expand on their existing offering.  

“We believe there is place for everyone in the market, so we do not consider ourselves an opposition to current suppliers, but more an expanded offering to a growing industry,” explains Richard Irwin of Bottle Printers.  

The business has expanded to supply plastic and glass bottles along with closures, such as pumps and caps etc. This allows for a one-stop shop, giving the customer either an undecorated or decorated bottle based on their needs. Other advancements include an investment into foiling technology as well as CMYK printing directly onto bottles. These capacity enhancements, coupled with continuous development in the background, make growth inevitable at Bottle Printers. 

Expanding alongside customers’ needs  

Labelling is another area of expansion for the business. Paying attention to multiple customers’ suggestions on label supply, Bottle Printers felt it was time to add this to its offering. 

In January the company installed a fully automated labelling machine and recently, it added another more advanced machine to its inventory. At this stage, Bottle Printers is equipped to label onto round bottles of multiple sizes.  

“We are growing this new department based on customers’ needs,” Richard explains. “Customers can bring us their labels as well as their own bottles for labelling and we simply offer the application service. We are also able to supply labels – again to minimise the supply chain for our customers making it more convenient. With very low minimum quantities required, while we say we can cater for orders from as little 2 500, we are always open to discussions on any smaller quantities for customers wishing to enter the market – like we’ve done for the past 33 years.”  

Labelling has been a strong contender to direct printing (mainly due to cost), so Bottle Printers believes it is only fitting to bring the labelling option to its customers. This ensures the business presents a comprehensive offering to customers and gives them more choice, both with Bottle Printers as well as in the industry.