With the growing development of the African plastics industry, Indian companies are making great inroads into the African market. Today, India’s machinery manufacturers are increasingly exporting to Africa, and Indian resin and processing companies are also starting to invest in Africa.

For example, the American machinery giant Milacron's plant in India supplies more than 200 injection molding machines to the African market each year. Africa has now become the largest export market for this plant, accounting for more than 20% of its total production.

In resin, Dhunseri Petrochem & Tea Ltd, a PET manufacturer headquartered in Calcutta. The company is building what it calls the first PET polymer plant in Africa. This factory in Egypt will produce bottles and food grade materials. The new plant will have an annual capacity of 420,000 tons and will be put into operation next year. At the recent Plastindia, Indian companies generally feedback that their business in Africa is growing. For example, CosmoFilms Ltd, India's leading film extrusion manufacturer. The company said it is building a biaxially oriented polypropylene film production plant in Africa at a suitable location.

Headquartered in Ahmedabad, India, Ferromatik Milacron India Pvt. Ltd. The company’s COOShirishDivgi said: “The speed of development in African countries is now quite rapid, especially in West Africa and East Africa. For a long time, the [Africa] plastics industry is mainly for the household goods and furniture industry, but recently we have found that the plastic industry is Activities in the field are becoming more and more active, such as construction moldings for writing instruments and accessories."

Even though the scale of the African market is not large on a global scale, the managers of the Indian machinery industry stated that the construction of factories on the African continent is now in full swing. Headquartered in Noida, Rotary Machinery Manufacturer and Mould Manufacturer M. Plast (India) Pvt. Rajendra Shukla, head of the company, said: "In the past, all things in Africa depended on imports. Now everyone wants to build factories in Africa. This is an important market."

On January 30, he said in an interview at the meeting of the Asian Rotational Molding Society in New Delhi that in some years of the past five years, Africa has become the company’s largest export market.

M. Plast has signed a technology transfer and marketing agreement with the Italian mold maker Roto Mouldssrl for the African market. The two sides stated that one of the goals of this cooperation is to produce better molds to meet the growing demands of the African and Middle Eastern markets.

Some large-scale equipment manufacturers also believe that the African market has brought them opportunities.

Equipment manufacturer KabraExtrusiontechnikLtd. According to the company, the company has more than 25% of its equipment exported to Africa, and this proportion is still “increasingly high.” However, the company’s managers stated that the unrestful political situation in North Africa has affected their growth momentum.

At the same time, injection molding machine manufacturer L&TPlasticsProcessingMachinery also regards Africa as an important high-growth market, the company CEOP. Kailas said in an interview at the Indian Plastics Fair held in New Delhi from February 1st to 6th: "The African market has great potential."

The growth of consumer spending in the African market is headquartered in Kenasters Inc., a rotational molder in Nairobi, Kenya. Chandu Shah, chairman of the company, said that the African middle class, with its growing purchasing power, is one of the many drivers of market development.

Founded in 1990, Kentainers now has six rotomolding plants in six African countries. It employs 400 people and produces water tanks, hygiene products and material handling products.

He said that the small-footprint rotomolding market is currently growing at a rapid rate of 20% per year, but the local market has also been greatly affected by the world economic turmoil: "Foreign direct investment has almost dried up. Live in foreign Kenya People’s remittances to their countries have been substantially reduced.”

However, Shah said that in recent years, new local competitors have begun to enter the rotomolding market, and the plastics trade with India has also increased.

He said: "India has become an important source of machinery and materials for us and imported many foreigners for the African market."

With many Indian foreigners living and doing business in Africa, Indian companies have established advantages in the region. Many Indian business managers have stated that their business activities in India are mainly concentrated in the Indian Indian community.

According to Gerry Marketos, CEO of PlastoDuraMais-CustaMenos, a rotational molder in Maputo, Mozambique, another “large-scale project” such as a mining project has attracted a large amount of foreign direct investment, and to some extent Eliminate the adverse effects of the world economic recession. He said that the situation in some African countries where FDI is not sufficient is not very good.

Founded in 1996, Plastex has 200 employees and more than 15 rotomolding machines.

Marketos said that one of the reasons for the close relationship between the Indian and African markets is that the economic and social needs of the two markets are quite similar. This makes Indian plastic products and machinery and equipment suitable for African countries.

He said: "I'll give you an example. Everyone knows that India and Africa have serious problems in terms of hygiene. Some plastic hygiene products produced in [India] also apply to Africa. India and Africa have very similar Customer base."

Marketos said that he often went to India to participate in various industry activities to find new product ideas and applicable machinery and equipment. In the process, he discovered that Indian SMEs are highly innovative and pioneering. ”

He said that the establishment of plastics processing in Africa needs to overcome many challenges, including infrastructure and logistics, as well as a high rate of absenteeism and employees are prone to death from diseases such as malaria and HIV.

However, in spite of the challenges, Indian companies still have firm confidence in Africa.

Although the problem is serious, experts in Africa have proposed the growing middle class and new possibilities for economic development in Africa after years of reforms. The Economist magazine described Africa as a "promising continent" in its December report and "has great hope to continue Asia's development."

Divgi of Ferromatik Milacron said: “We will often go to Africa in the future, talk to locals, listen to their needs, and maintain close contact with local processing companies. We hope to develop with Africa.”