Nexgen Packaging has a new corporate home in Nairobi, Kenya.
The corporate headquarters facility, which opened on Thursday, now serves as the company’s primary production location in Africa, as well as its central hub across the African continent. The facility is located in the heart of the Export Processing Zone in Athi River, Nairobi. It’s existence adds to the production capabilities in Egypt and West Africa. The opening of the site adds nearly 100 jobs to the region.
“Nexgen is proud to be the first global supplier in this industry to be on the ground in Kenya,” Jim Welch, Nexgen’s CEO, said. “Our investment in this new facility underscores how Nexgen is contributing to the current and future needs of our customers. With the growing demand for apparel, footwear and home products made in Africa, Nexgen is excited to be leading the industry with the launch of this state-of-the-art, sustainable facility.”
Nexgen provides a wide range of labeling, tagging and packaging options for apparel, footwear and home goods. The new facility can produce and deliver a wide range of packaging products: care labels, heat transfers, variable data products that include RFID tags and stickers, brand identification products, woven labels and other packaging offerings.
According to the company’s site, the firms Nexgen works with include: Aerie, Alo Yoga, Columbia Sports, Eileen Fisher, Hudson’s Bay Co., J. Crew, Kate Spade, LNDR, Madewell, Nordstrom, Pangaia, Pendleton, Ralph Lauren, REI Co-op, Ross Stores, Soma, Stitch Fix, Talbots, The Children’s Place, The TXJ Cos., Tractor Supply Co., Under Armour, White House|Black Market, and more. Its plastic-free hangers are used by secondhand kids’ wear store Kidkanai and Irish value retailer Primark, with the latter helping Nexgen to nab the U.K. Packaging Design Team of the Year award in 2023.
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The company also has a special focus on sustainable solutions, including the crafting of its new headquarters. In partnership with Contech Container Technology Ltd., Nexgen’s footprint in Kenya uses upcycled shipping containers repurposed into habitable space at the site. And Contech’s build-out of the space includes solar-powered lights and light posts from bamboo, earning the facility EDGE certification for Green building practices.
Goutham Reddy, director at Best Lifestyle Kenya EPZ Ltd., said Nexgen’s establishment of operations in Kenya “marks a significant milestone for the Kenyan garment sector‘s journey toward vertical integration and will encourage many more companies to invest in Kenya.”
“We are thrilled to welcome Nexgen’s expansion into Kenya—a strategic move that enhances MAS’s capabilities within the region and strengthens our intricate garment manufacturing processes,” Jehan Jayasuriya, MAS Intimates’ chief marketing officer, said. “For nearly a decade, Nexgen has been a key partner, supplying essential trims and packaging solutions for our apparel products. Their foray into Kenya not only bolsters our robust supply chain but represents a significant milestone in our ongoing collaboration.”
Nexgen also has global sales and manufacturing operations across Spain, Hong Kong, the U.K. and the U.S.