• Flexibles: growth in challenging market
    Flexibles: growth in challenging market
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Revenue at Pro-Pac Packaging rose by five per cent in the quarter to December 31, driven by new flexibles customers, in what the company said was a challenging market.

Sales rose to $81.1m for the quarter, up from $77.8m in the previous three months, with flexibles up to $63.9m from $60.6m, while specialty packaging was steady at $17.2m.

Pro-Pac said the trading environment “continues to be challenging” as the cost of living crisis impacts on discretionary spending for consumers.

Cashflow at Pro-Pac for the quarter was an outflow of $2m, predominantly due to a seasonal increase in net working capital for the quarter. The company’s payments included $2.5m for a new printing press, with installation completed this month; it will be operational by the end of this quarter.

Pro-Pac has $2.5m in cash on hand, and of its $39m in financing facilities, it has unused credit facilities of $16.8m, including $5.6m from a government grant.

During the quarter it made $3.4m in payments to related parties, including $385,000 to directors and execs, and $3m to Visy “on arm’s length terms”.

Food & Drink Business

CCEP has completed a $39.7m manufacturing upgrade at its Kewdale facility in WA, installing a high-speed can production line that increases capacity by more than 40% and lifts production speeds to 1500 cans per minute.

Nearly 6 in 10 Aussies in food and beverage manufacturing believe their organisation is becoming less productive, despite continued investment in workplace technology, according to Argon & Co.

The Federal Government has introduced legislation requiring LNG exporters to supply the equivalent of 20 per cent of exports to the domestic market, a scheme food and grocery manufacturers have lobbied for.