Plastic Bubbles celebrates half-century in style
PLASTIC BUBBLES has just reached the half-century mark, and it’s fair to say the Springs-based injection and blow moulding company has reached this milestone in style. Few converting businesses in South Africa can boast 50 years in operation.
Achieving continuity in management plays a major role in reaching such a milestone, a box that Bubbles has certainly ticked.
The company was started in 1975 by brothers Stratos and Menelaos Moutafi s, who had arrived in South Africa from Greece not too long before. The company’s name, inspired by a plastic toy that was among Bubbles’ first products, was light-hearted and almost in jest, but it was a pioneering phase for the industry in South Africa, where most of those involved had little or less formal qualifications or training in plastic moulding.
The Moutafi s brothers embraced the challenge, and it was an exciting time as plastics began to replace traditional materials such as glass, metal, and wood across a wide range of products. Production gradually expanded, specifically of the range of housewares and packaging products under the ‘Stratoware’ and ‘Stratopak’ brands, as the company grew and developed valuable expertise.
Stratos’ unexpected passing in 2007 could easily have placed the business in jeopardy. However, in an equally unexpected turn, his daughter Virginia stepped in to take the reins, ensuring it was business as usual from that point onward. The same tenets applied before were continued, including those of keeping key staff and finances in check, ensuring that quality was of a high standard, and that customers were well looked after and properly supplied.
Stratos’s son Aki joined the company in 2014, and together, he and Virginia have continued to uphold the same strategy and philosophy. The last decade – from 40 to 50 years – has gone by in a flash, but not without some challenges. Among these were the 2018 strike, during which all vehicles on the premises were torched (fortunately, the mob did not gain access to the plant), and shortly thereafter, there was the challenging Covid-induced slowdown of 2020.
Adjusting in order to deal with these challenges was obviously vital, but focusing on customer needs, continuing with investments in production technology and shifting the company’s focus have proved key.
Suitably geared
It was realised that the company was not suitably geared to handle large FMCG orders. Instead, a strategic decision was made to focus on specialised packaging products. While Plastic Bubbles still produces its long-standing range of homewares, its production is now focused on medium-sized orders for packaging containers, including closures and flip-top caps. The company has also shifted further into the cosmetics and chemicals sectors, where it now supplies a broad range of containers and caps.
On the quality front, Plastic Bubbles implemented a comprehensive BMS quality management system, ensuring that everyone at the plant operates in alignment with its standards and procedures. For any manufacturing business, full implementation of such a QA system plays a key role in keeping all staff continuously informed about order progress and customer requirements.
Another major contributor to the company’s continuity has been its ongoing investment in equipment. In recent years, Plastic Bubbles has added new injection and blow moulding machines and enhanced its toolroom capabilities, the latter being a big plus for the company.
Additionally, Plastic Bubbles is FSSC 22000 certified, SMETA approved, and B-BBEE Level 4 compliant. These accreditations ensure the company meets the stringent requirements of its pharmaceutical partners while maintaining the highest operational standards.
Sustainable solutions
Another milestone for Plastic Bubbles was its commitment to incorporating recycled materials into production. This initiative was recently recognised when the company received a Silver Award at the SAPRO (South African Plastics Recyclers Organisation) Awards in August. The product, an aerosol cap using post-consumer recycled polypropylene (rPP) for Adcock Ingram, was praised by the judges for ‘bringing new technologies and materials into the manufacturing process’ and developing innovative and sustainable packaging solutions to the South African and sub-Saharan market.
Congratulations to the Plastic Bubbles family!
