Tetra Pak Eastern Africa, a leading packaging company, is investing 300 million Kenyan shillings ($4.67 million) to upgrade its East Africa plant.
The company's managing director Anders Lindgren said printing, lamination and slitting facilities would be upgraded at the plant, situated in the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

The supplier of packaging material to the liquid food industry in the region, counts on the country's dairy sector as its biggest client since it accounts for 70 per cent of its business. Tetra Pak also supplies filling machines and packaging for juices.The Eastern Africa region has been experiencing steady growth in the dairy sector. Many households in the region derive their livelihood from the dairy sector. As a result, a lot of development initiatives in the sector are going on that will see enhanced growth.

The production of milk in Kenya has been restored after disruptions spurred by post-election violence in Kenya that left a lot of dairy farmers displaced who are now settling back said the managing director.

The Tetra Pak factory produces around 1,000 tonnes of material monthly. Tetra Pak Eastern Africa has grown by 20 percent in 2007 owing to increased exports to Uganda and Tanzania, despite competition from local firms keen on plastic bag manufacturing.

"The ban on plastic bags below 30 microns and high taxation on thick plastics will have a positive impact on our business as companies seek alternative packaging to plastics," said Mr. Anders Lindgren. During the 2007/2008 financial year the government of Kenya imposed a 120 per cent tax on plastics across the board -in move aimed at curbing environmental problems. The concept has also been adopted by Uganda and Tanzania.

Additionally, Tetra Pak has unveiled plans to revitalise its brand in order to strengthen its global identity. The brand revitalisation will help strengthen awareness of what the company does and what it stands for - bringing to life Tetra Pak's existing motto "PROTECTS WHAT'S GOOD." This motto can be found on over 100 billion Tetra Pak packages around the world.

In January Tetra Pak launched its new graphic identity, which puts the "PROTECTS WHAT'S GOOD" promise at the heart of the brand - with a bolder, fresher, more colorful look.