Shrink wrap, flow wrap, vertical and horizontal form-fill-seal, filling and labelling equipment, freighted to the Eastern Cape and commissioned on your floor by our own technicians.
A packaging machine is only right when it suits your product, your film and your throughput, so we start with the range, not the sales pitch. Shrink wrapping and shrink sleeve equipment, flow wrappers, vertical and horizontal form-fill-seal lines, canning and can seaming, capsule and sachet filling, cup fill-seal, tube filling, labelling and cartoning. Standalone machines through to fully automated lines. Every type is set up and powered at our Johannesburg workshop, and if you cannot get up to see it, we will run your product on it and send you the footage and the sealed packs.
Ordered by what the Eastern Cape actually packs: component kits and multipacks for the assembly plants and the retail trade, then dairy, produce and dry product into cups, jars and pouches.
L-bar and side sealers, sleeve sealers and shrink tunnels for multipacks, glass jars, hardware and retail-ready packs.
Horizontal flow wrappers for bars, biscuits, frozen snacks, small parts and anything needing a fin or lap seal at speed.
Powders, granules, and liquids formed, filled, and sealed from reel film, with auger, weighing, or volumetric dosing or pump to suit the product.
Stand-up and zipper pouch lines for spices, granules and liquid formats where shelf presentation matters.
We work back from the product and the pack, never from a catalogue page. Six things decide the machine, and we go through all six before a quote is written. At 1,000 km we do it on photographs, measurements and a courier sample rather than a handshake: you send the product, the film and the pack spec, we run it here, and nothing ships until the pack coming off the machine is the pack you sell.
Powder, granule, liquid or solid. This decides the filler before anything else is discussed: auger, multihead weigher, volumetric cup or liquid pump.
Units per minute at the rate you actually run, not a peak-day figure. Output decides whether a single-lane, multi-lane or fully automatic line is the honest answer, and whether one shift can hold an assembly-plant delivery schedule or a citrus season.
The pack you sell into: pillow bag, stick pack, doypack, zipper pouch, tray, cup, jar or shrink multipack. Format narrows the machine type to one or two options. If you are packing kits to an OEM spec or fruit to an export spec, send us that spec and we will work to it, including barcoding, counts and labelling requirements.
Footprint, ceiling height, three-phase supply and where compressed air already runs. This matters more at distance, not less: a machine that will not fit through the door of a Deal Party or Struandale unit is an expensive mistake once it is on a truck. We work from photographs and measurements you send, and confirm the access route before the machine is loaded.
What the line has to cost to make commercial sense. We recommend the most cost-effective machine that does the job, not the largest one we can sell you.
Room to scale is part of the specification. An Eastern Cape supplier who is awarded a longer OEM contract or a bigger export allocation usually needs more output inside a year, so growth should mean adding to the line rather than replacing it.
Courier us your product, the film you intend to use and the carton you pack into. We will run a sample batch on the machine we have recommended, send you the sealed packs and the footage, and talk you through what the machine did and did not do well. If you would rather see it yourself, Riversands is 20 minutes from OR Tambo and worth the flight before a capital purchase.
Price is driven by machine type, production speed, level of automation and any customisation. Rather than publish a figure that does not apply to your product, we quote in detail once we understand what you are packing and at what rate. An Eastern Cape quote shows the road freight and the commissioning trip as line items rather than burying them, so you can see exactly what the distance costs.
Terms on entry- to mid-level machines are 50% deposit and 50% before delivery. Complex, customised and full-line projects are structured around the Factory Acceptance Test and set out in your quote, and we are open to adjusting terms to suit your cash flow. We do not offer in-house financing, but we are a registered vendor with Wesbank and supply the quotes, specifications and documentation your bank requires. See the payment and financing questions.
A semi-automatic L-bar sealer and a multi-lane VFFS line are different orders of investment. The machine type follows the product and the pack, so this is settled before price is.
Output is the single biggest lever on cost. Doubling units per minute usually means more lanes, heavier framing and faster servo drives rather than the same machine run harder.
Hand-loaded, semi-automatic, or fully automatic with infeed and end-of-line. Automation is priced against the labour and rework it removes, and where you are packing to an OEM count or an export spec, it is also priced against the cost of a rejected consignment.
Product dimensions, pack size and added features such as date coding or gas flushing. Standard-range machines cost less and arrive sooner than a custom build.
Our workshop, showroom and spares base is at Riversands in Johannesburg, and we are straight about that: there is no Eastern Cape branch. What we do instead is make the machine prove itself before it travels. Send us your product, your film and your carton and we will run a sample batch, then send you the sealed packs and the trial footage. Machines are freighted down by road, and our own technicians come with the commissioning.
Riversands, Johannesburg
Our single workshop, showroom and spares base, 20 minutes from OR Tambo. Address and trading hours on the contact page.
Machines are freighted by road from Riversands, typically two days in transit to Gqeberha and East London, and our technicians fly down to install and commission on site. Installation is booked as a scheduled visit rather than a same-day call, and we confirm the date before you pay the balance.
Three installs written up in full, with the product, the format and the throughput each line was specified around. The cup fill-seal and glass jar jobs are the closest reads for dairy and preserve packers in this province.
We’ve been very happy with the equipment supplied by SA Packaging Machinery. It’s straightforward to use, performs consistently, and has helped us improve our production process. The team was easy to work with and made the entire experience smooth.
We’ve had a great experience working with SA Packaging Machinery. The equipment has performed exactly as we hoped, and it’s made a noticeable difference to our operations. The service before and after installation has been excellent, and we’re happy with the overall result.
PackMan purchased an Automatic 6-Lane, 4-Side Seal Vinegar Packaging Machine, and it has been performing reliably since installation. The machine delivers consistent packaging quality, operates efficiently, and has met our production expectations.
SA Packaging Machinery supplied our VFFS machine, and it has been running well since installation. The team was straightforward to deal with, and the support has been there whenever we’ve needed it.
Ratings and reviews are published on our Google Business Profile, where they can be read in full and in context.
Professional, good quality products, and friendly.
Anything not covered here, phone the workshop. You will get someone who has installed the machine, not a call centre.
Yes, and this is how most of our Eastern Cape customers buy. Courier us your product, the film you intend to use and the carton you pack into. We set the machine up at Riversands, run a sample batch, then send you the sealed packs and video of the trial so you can see the seal, the fill accuracy and the rate for yourself. Nothing ships until the pack coming off the machine is the pack you sell. If you would rather be in the room, Riversands is 20 minutes from OR Tambo.
Machines in stock at Riversands: allow around two days on the road to Gqeberha or East London, then a booked commissioning date. Machines not in stock: 10–12 weeks from receipt of deposit, covering the factory build, the Factory Acceptance Test and freight, plus the road leg. Custom configurations are quoted per project. We do not quote a lead time we have not confirmed with the factory and the freight company first.
Our own technicians, not a local subcontractor. They fly down, position the machine, connect it to your power and compressed air, dial in the settings for your product and film, and stay until the line is producing sealed packs at the rate quoted. Operator training happens on the same visit, with your staff, on your product. The trip is planned into the quote, so there is no surprise call-out cost at the end.
Sealing elements, heating bands, drive belts, blades, seals and sensors are held at Riversands and couriered overnight to the Eastern Cape, so a routine replacement is a day or two rather than an eight-to-twelve-week import. That is the practical difference between a South African supplier and an imported machine with no parts in the country. Less common assemblies we bring in to order, and we will tell you honestly which category your part falls into.
Yes. Most faults are settings, wear parts or sensors, and those are solved on the phone with your operator, often the same morning. Where a technician is genuinely needed we book a flight and tell you when. We service the machines we supplied, and we will look at equipment bought elsewhere where we can source the parts.
No, and we would rather say so than pretend otherwise. We run one workshop, in Johannesburg, and supply the whole country from it. For an Eastern Cape producer the honest comparison is not whether we are around the corner, but whether anyone is: an imported machine bought through an agent usually means no spares in South Africa, no technician to send, and a container wait when something breaks. We are a South African company with the machine, the parts and the people in the country.
We do not provide in-house financing, so machines are paid for directly. Many customers finance through their own bank, and we supply the quotes, specifications and documentation banks require. We are a registered vendor with Wesbank, and have supplied machines financed through Nedbank and Absa.
For entry- to mid-level machines, 50% deposit and 50% before delivery. For complex, customised or full-line projects, terms are structured around the Factory Acceptance Test and set out in your quote. We are open to adjusting terms to suit your cash flow, so tell us what works for your business.
Yes. CE marking is the manufacturer’s declaration that a machine meets European health, safety and environmental requirements, covering guarding, emergency stops and electrical safety, and the documentation is supplied with the machine. It is not a South African legal requirement, but it matters here: component suppliers audited by the assembly plants and produce packers shipping through the port are both regularly asked for it. If your customer needs more, tell us what and we will obtain it from the manufacturer.
Factories specialise. A plant that builds powder fillers builds little else, and perfects it. Rather than sourcing everything from one supplier, we work with a different manufacturer for each machine type. For anything outside our standard range we obtain quotes from three factories, and we visit and inspect them in person before a build is committed.
We work back from the product and the pack. Product type first (powder, granule, liquid or solid), then output in units per minute, the pack format you sell into, the floor space and power you have, your budget, and where you expect production to be in three years. At distance we do it on photographs, measurements and a courier sample: send the product and the film, and we will run it here before recommending anything.
Both. Many Eastern Cape customers start with one machine, filling, sealing or wrapping, and add to it as volumes grow. We also supply complete lines, including filling, sealing, wrapping, labelling, coding and end-of-line automation, laid out as one system and commissioned in one visit.
Yes. Send us photographs of the line, the conveyor heights, the run of floor available and the door and passage the machine has to come through. We plan the layout and the access route before the machine is loaded, because a fit problem found in Gqeberha is a fit problem 1,000 km from the workshop.
Yes. Depending on machine type, they run laminated films, polyethylene, polypropylene and other heat-sealable films. Film choice affects sealing temperature and achievable speed more than most buyers expect, so send us a roll from the supplier you actually buy from and we will run the trial on that film, not a substitute.
Yes, and it is worth being specific with us early. Component packing to an assembly-plant spec usually carries requirements beyond the pack itself: counts per pack, barcode placement, label content and traceability. Export produce specs carry their own. Send us the specification you are packing to and we will confirm what the machine does natively, what needs an add-on such as date coding or a labeller, and what is not worth automating.
Yes, within limits we will be straight with you about. Common changes are product dimensions, pack size, output speed and features such as date coding or gas flushing. Anything outside our standard range is quoted from three factories, and we inspect the plant before a build is committed.
Price is driven by machine type, production speed, level of automation and any customisation. Rather than publish a figure that does not apply to your product, we quote in detail once we know what you are packing and at what rate. An Eastern Cape quote shows road freight and the commissioning trip as separate line items, so you can see what the distance costs. Payment terms and financing documentation are covered above.
Yes. Every machine includes a warranty period, set out in your quotation and sales agreement. Warranty support at distance starts with phone and video assistance, parts couriered overnight, and a technician flown down when the fault genuinely needs hands on the machine.
Call the workshop first. Most stoppages are settings, a worn sealing element, a belt or a sensor, and your operator can fix them on the phone with us the same day, which is why we train your people properly at commissioning. Parts go on an overnight courier from Riversands. If it needs a technician, we book the flight and tell you when rather than leaving you guessing.
Tell us what you are packing. Product, pack format, target output and film if you know it. We will come back with the machine that fits and what it costs to run, not a catalogue.
