Custom Bulk Bags is a manufacturer and supplier of flexible intermediate bulk containers (FIBCs), also known as bulk bags, in South Africa. The company is owned by Deneb Investments Limited, a subsidiary of Hosken Consolidated Investments (HCI), both of which are listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE).
These parent companies provide support to Custom Bulk Bags through their business network and enable us to focus on producing quality FIBCs. Custom Bulk Bags can fulfil bulk orders placed by agriculture, mining and chemical companies thanks to the capital investment provided by Deneb and HCI.
Custom Bulk Bags Chief Executive Officer, Piet van Wyk, and General Manager, Chris Byram, share some insights into the company and the bulk bag industry:
Q: How long have you been associated with Custom Bulk Bags?
Piet: I was transferred to Custom Bulk Bags/Integrated Polypropylene Products in June 2018. Prior to that, I managed a number of other business units within the same group.
Chris: I joined the family-owned business in January 2007 after a short stint in Johannesburg, where I managed an agency that marketed FIBCs.
Q: What progress has excited you the most?
Piet: In the short period that I have been CEO, the most exciting and rewarding experience is to see how people can develop and, at the same time, create a culture of care and continual improvement.
Chris: I believe that the ease of transformation, from a family-owned and managed business to a company with good corporate governance and an intrapreneurial flair, has been a massive step in the right direction.
Q: How have your customers benefitted from the products?
Piet: The biggest benefit for our customers is the care and attention to detail in our bulk bags. This promotes good quality and on-time deliveries.
Chris: Our customers appreciate the attention to detail, combined with swift decision making, irrespective of whether you are a small, medium or large customer.
Q: What is unique about your team?
Piet: We have a blend of old and young people; the unique part is that the older people want to share knowledge and experiences, while the younger group are incredibly keen to absorb and improve. It is a fantastic match which is not often found.
Chris: The fact that we are all able to fulfil more than one position in the business, from sales to manufacturing to finance, is quite unique.
Q: How do you see the future for Custom Bulk Bags?
Piet: The future is to improve our position in the market of bulk packaging through various strategies. This will help us to offer a wider range of packaging solutions and be closer to our customers.
Chris: The future for Custom Bulk Bags is to develop further in the aspect of service delivery, allowing the company to become the supplier of choice for industrial bulk packaging.
Q: You are best known for…
Piet: Solving problems. Our customers have varying needs due to the variety of products that are packed and transported in our bulk bags. Some customers have high levels of automation while others are not there yet. Our job is to find solutions for each customer’s unique circumstances.
Chris: Quick turnaround time, from receipt of order to your goods being delivered to your warehouse.
Q: One thing people don’t know about you…
Piet: I am an open book, there is not much that is not known. I am driven by loyalty; to our customers, to our suppliers, to our employees and to our employer. After 41 years of practising this, I think there is nothing that is not known about me.
Chris: That I am extremely competitive, whether it be in sport or in business.
Custom Bulk Bags can manufacture up to 67 000 bulk bags per week. These products have a minimum guaranteed safety factor of 5:1, which means that they are capable of holding at least five times their intended load without breaking. For more information about our bulk bags, please contact us today.
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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.
