Custom Bulk Bags (CBB) has steadily grown into a leading manufacturer and supplier of bulk bags for a number of industries in South Africa over the past twenty years. We service many major industries, including agriculture, chemicals and mining. CBB has the capacity to produce up to 3.5-million bulk bags per year, which allows us to meet the needs and demands of major corporations and customers, such as Sasol, Omnia, Tongaat Hulett and Illovo.
The extrusion, weaving and manufacturing processes of the bulk bags are done in-house. “We have numerous sizing and load options, ranging from half a cubic metre to two cubic metres and loads of 500 kg up to two tonnes,” says CBB general manager Chris Byram. This offers a vast array of uses for the bulk bags and also enables CBB to fully customise the bags according to each client’s needs.
CBB adheres to strict management protocols
To be considered a world-class manufacturer and supplier of bulk bags, CBB adheres to strict management protocols and processes. We are a Level 3 Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) contributor and hold an ISO 9001 certification. “We have the best BEE status amongst bulk bag manufacturers in South Africa,” explains Byram. This contribution brings additional benefits to our partners, suppliers and buyers.
On the quality management side, the ISO 9001 certification is a guarantee of our high-quality products and services. It is an international certification for quality management systems (QMS) that places CBB on par with world-class businesses. This certification is based on various principles, such as customer-centricity, senior management performance and continuous improvement in all fields of business.
Safety and sustainability also form key pillars of our management protocols. Our bulk bags have a minimum of a 5:1 safety factor, which essentially means that they are able to hold five times the amount of their intended safe workload. “The precision manufacturing of our products makes them extremely safe to use in all applications,” states Byram. Many competing suppliers of bulk bags only offer a 3:1 safety factor.
CBB strives for improved sustainability and environmental performance; our slogan is “as green as can be”. We reuse our in-house rejects and offcuts by recycling them into high-quality polypropylene that can be extruded and woven into new bags. This helps to minimise plastic waste in South African landfills and create a steady supply of reusable materials for our manufacturing process.
CBB’s role in industry and the economy
Our major role is to provide high-quality bulk bags to many major industries in South Africa. This allows us to make a positive contribution to the economy in two ways. Firstly, our bulk bags enable leading mining, agriculture and chemical companies to store and transport large quantities of various products. This makes it more efficient and cost-effective for these businesses to operate.
Secondly, CBB contributes to the job security of many South Africans. Not just our own 500 employees, but also the thousands of hard-working individuals that are employed in the other major industries. As we work to expand our own business and help our customers to grow too, we are steadily creating jobs and improving the employment security of the existing workforce.
CBB is a subsidiary of Deneb Investments Limited. Unlike many other manufacturers of bulk bags, CBB is a corporate entity that has financial backing from two Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE)-listed corporations – Deneb and its parent company, Hosken Consolidated Investments (HCI). The support from these corporations allows CBB to focus on product quality and meeting the various needs of our customers above all else.
We are able to meet the large orders placed by mining, chemical and agriculture companies as a result of the capital investment provided by Deneb and HCI. Our leading customer service and economic contributions are influenced by the value and support given to CBB by our parent companies.
Recent performance
The single largest event to impact the South African economy over the past year has been Covid-19. This pandemic has changed the way businesses operate around the world and CBB is no exception. Our labour-intensive manufacturing process meant that we had to instigate stringent Covid-19 procedures in order to protect our employees.
In addition, CBB is entirely self-sufficient and manufactures all the individual components of the bulk bags in-house. This includes the woven polypropylene fabric and the handles. CBB produces these products from scratch and our experienced quality control teams ensure that all bulk bags are finished to the highest standards.
All of these factors above ensure that we remain at the top of the bulk bag sector. We strive to improve on our current performance and offerings through training and development. This enables CBB to continuously provide world-class products to vital industries and makes us a significant contributor to the well-being of South Africans and the national economy.
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Custom Bulk Bags is a South African manufacturer of woven polypropylene bags for various industries, such as mining, chemicals and food. We are able to produce over 3.5-million bulk bags per year, keeping our customers in stock at all times. Our bags adhere to the highest levels of quality as a result of our stringent in-house testing and quality control programmes.
Custom Bulk Bags holds ISO 9001 certification and we currently have a number of UN-certified designs. We are a Level 3 B-BBEE manufacturer and supplier and fall under the ownership structure of Deneb Investments Limited. For more information on our products, contact sales@custombulkbags.co.za. Follow us on Facebook for our latest news and industry insights.
