Silafrica
Silafrica is a B2B plastic packaging manufacturer producing rigid and flexible packaging solutions for regional manufacturers and distributors, with manufacturing facilities across Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Mozambique, and exports to more than 15 East African countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1965
- HeadquartersNairobi, Kenya
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Silafrica does
Silafrica is a B2B plastic packaging manufacturer serving East African markets. The company designs and produces rigid and flexible plastic packaging solutions for regional manufacturers and distributors across multiple end-use categories. Operating since 1965, Silafrica runs manufacturing facilities in four countries — Tanzania (headquarters), Kenya, Ethiopia, and Mozambique — and exports its products to more than 15 countries across East Africa and beyond. Its stated corporate strategy, described as an E2P (Employee to Partner / Excellence to Planet) framework, rests on three pillars: performance leadership, technology leadership, and circular economy integration, with an emphasis on reducing environmental impact through recycling and reusable material approaches.
The company's product portfolio is organized into two core categories, rigid packaging and flexible packaging, each covering industrial and commercial applications for goods manufacturers. Revenue is generated through the sale of manufactured packaging products to B2B customers, likely under negotiated contracts given the absence of published pricing and the industrial nature of buyers. The go-to-market model relies on direct, relationship-driven B2B sales anchored by regional manufacturing presence rather than marketing-led demand generation. Customer segments appear horizontally distributed across manufacturers and exporters in East Africa, with no named anchor customers disclosed in the available data.
With a workforce in the 501-1000 range, Silafrica operates a meaningful industrial-scale footprint in the regional packaging sector. Institutional capital exposure is evidenced by a 2016 AfricInvest investment, though funding amounts, board composition, and detailed ownership are not publicly disclosed. The company is led by Alpesh Patel as CEO of the Tanzania entity and Gavin Dehning as Group CEO, with group-level CHRO and executive director functions disclosed. No public financial filings, certifications, patents, partnerships, or awards information is available in the source material, limiting third-party validation of operational scale or compliance posture.
Silafrica firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Silafrica
- Legal name
- Silafrica
- Website
- https://silafrica.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1965
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Silafrica is a B2B plastic packaging manufacturer producing rigid and flexible packaging solutions for regional manufacturers and distributors, with manufacturing facilities across Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Mozambique, and exports to more than 15 East African countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Silafrica industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Plastic Packaging Manufacturing
- NAICS
- Plastics Bag and Pouch Manufacturing (326111), Plastics Packaging Materials and Unlaminated Film and Sheet Manufacturing (32611), Other Plastics Product Manufacturing (32619)
- SIC
- Plastics Products, Nec (3089), Plastics, Foil & Coated Paper Bags (2673)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Rigid Plastic Containers (Bottles, Jars, Jugs) Manufacturing (IMANAEAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Flexible Plastic Packaging (Bags, Pouches, Sachets) Manufacturing (IMANAEAC), Rigid Food Containers (Cups, Trays, Clamshells) (IMALAAAD), Returnable/Reusable Plastic Packaging (RPCs, Crates, Totes) Manufacturing (IMANAEAM), Foodservice & Single-Use Plastic Packaging (Cups, Lids, Cutlery) Manufacturing (IMANAEAI)
Keywords
Where Silafrica is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Nairobi
- HQ country
- Kenya
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices4 records
Markets served
Silafrica business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Plastic Packaging Products: Silafrica manufactures and sells rigid and flexible plastic packaging products to businesses across East Africa and exports to more than 15 countries. Revenue is generated through the sale of manufactured packaging products, likely through long-term B2B contracts with regional and international customers.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Silafrica product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Silafrica manufactures and supplies rigid and flexible plastic packaging products, including caps and closures, preforms, containers, jars, tubs, cups, lids, films, laminates, pouches, and woven bags, for consumer goods companies operating across Africa. The company operates manufacturing facilities in Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Mozambique and exports to more than 15 countries under its E2P (Excellence to Planet) strategy.
Product overview
Silafrica is a plastic packaging company offering a portfolio of rigid and flexible packaging solutions. The company operates manufacturing facilities in Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Mozambique, exporting to more than 15 countries across East Africa. Based on its E2P (Excellence to Planet) strategy, Silafrica's product portfolio is organized around three strategic pillars: performance leadership, technology leadership, and the circular economy, spanning both rigid and flexible packaging categories.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Rigid Plastic Packaging
- Flexible Plastic Packaging
Quantifiable outcome
- Export reach to more than 15 countries demonstrates extensive regional distribution capability
Companies that use Silafrica
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Silafrica technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Silafrica partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Silafrica competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Nampak: Africa's largest packaging group, headquartered in South Africa, producing rigid and flexible plastic packaging, metals, glass, and paper packaging across multiple African countries. Comparable to Silafrica as a multi-country African plastic packaging manufacturer serving regional FMCG and industrial customers.
- Mpact Limited: South Africa-based packaging manufacturer with operations across Southern Africa producing plastic containers, films, and rigid packaging for FMCG and industrial customers. Closely comparable to Silafrica in product mix and African-market focus, though with deeper South African concentration.
Broad incumbents
- Amcor plc: Global leader in flexible and rigid plastic packaging serving food, beverage, personal care, and healthcare end markets with significant emerging-market presence. Comparable to Silafrica in core product categories (rigid and flexible plastic packaging) but at vastly greater scale and with multinational customer base.
- Berry Global Group: One of the world's largest plastic packaging manufacturers producing containers, films, and engineered materials for consumer and industrial markets. Comparable in product portfolio (rigid plastic containers, flexible films) to Silafrica, but operates at global scale and serves multinational FMCG customers.
- Sealed Air Corporation: Global packaging company specializing in food protective packaging, flexible packaging, and food hygiene solutions with a strong sustainability agenda. Comparable to Silafrica in circular-economy focus and flexible plastic packaging exposure, though predominantly serving developed markets.
- Huhtamäki Oyj: Finland-based global packaging group with operations in flexible packaging, foodservice, and consumer goods packaging, and a notable presence in emerging markets including East Africa. Comparable to Silafrica in both rigid and flexible plastic packaging for foodservice and consumer goods, with established African footprint.
- Silgan Holdings: Leading North American manufacturer of rigid plastic containers, metal containers, and dispensing closures serving food, beverage, and personal care markets. Comparable to Silafrica in rigid plastic container manufacturing and consumer/FMCG customer base, though at significantly larger scale.
- Sonoco Products Company: Global manufacturer of industrial and consumer packaging, with a strong rigid plastics and flexibles portfolio serving food, beverage, healthcare, and industrial markets. Comparable to Silafrica in core product categories and sustainability positioning, with broader end-market diversification.
Emerging players
- Manjushree Technopack: India's largest rigid plastic packaging manufacturer serving FMCG, beverage, personal care, and pharmaceutical customers with a strong focus on emerging-market growth. Comparable to Silafrica in product mix (rigid PET and polyolefin containers) and emerging-market growth trajectory, representing a similar stage of regional-to-global expansion.
- EPL Limited (formerly Essel Propack): Global specialty plastic packaging company producing laminated tubes, plastic tubes, and dispensing systems for personal care, pharma, and food customers with a strong emerging-market presence. Comparable to Silafrica in consumer-packaging focus, emerging-market footprint, and PE-backed growth orientation, though specializing in tubes rather than rigid containers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Silafrica social profiles
Digital presenceSilafrica financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Silafrica leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Silafrica funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Silafrica M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Silafrica
What does Silafrica do?
Silafrica manufactures and supplies rigid and flexible plastic packaging products, including caps and closures, preforms, containers, jars, tubs, cups, lids, films, laminates, pouches, and woven bags, for consumer goods companies operating across Africa. The company operates manufacturing facilities in Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Mozambique and exports to more than 15 countries under its E2P (Excellence to Planet) strategy.
Is Silafrica a public or private company?
Silafrica is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was Silafrica founded?
Silafrica was founded in 1965. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Silafrica based?
Silafrica is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, in the Africa region.
How does Silafrica make money?
One revenue line is on record: plastic Packaging Products.
Who are Silafrica's main competitors?
Regional players on record are Nampak and Mpact Limited. Broad incumbents are Amcor plc, Berry Global Group, Sealed Air Corporation, Huhtamäki Oyj, Silgan Holdings and Sonoco Products Company. Emerging players are Manjushree Technopack and EPL Limited (formerly Essel Propack).
Does Silafrica have an API?
No public API is recorded for Silafrica.
What industry is Silafrica in?
Silafrica's product category is Plastic Packaging Manufacturing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMANAEAA, Rigid Plastic Containers (Bottles, Jars, Jugs) Manufacturing, with a secondary code of IMANAEAC, Flexible Plastic Packaging (Bags, Pouches, Sachets) Manufacturing. Its NAICS code is 326111 and its SIC code is 3089.