Pakistan Aluminium Beverage Cans (PABC) is planning to expand its canmaking output from the current annual capacity of 950 million cans to 1.2 billion by August 2023, to meet growing consumer demand.

The company, an initiative of Ashmore Investment Management Limited and Liberty Group, reported to a May corporate briefing a revenue of PKR14.2bn in 2022, with after-tax profit of PKR2.7bn in 2022. Net profit in the first quarter of 2023 was PKR1.3bn. 

Chair Simon Jennings told The Canmaker that the company is looking to expand the business. He said PABC had finished expansion of the Faisalabad DWI line to its current design capacity of 1.2bn cans, and that a second metal decorator is being installed.

He said: “We are absolutely confident about the future of the plant. We are looking into where to go next, to expand the current location [in Faisalabad] or another location.”

The company forecasts a sales volume of 750m cans in FY23, with a calculated income of PKR18bn and net profit of PKR3.5bn.

PABC is the sole manufacturer of two-piece beverage cans in Pakistan and supplies Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Central Asia and Bangladesh. Jennings said that despite the well-known problems in Afghanistan and the economic crisis in Pakistan, the company was still growing: “It’s a growing opportunity because of the large population, and people like beverage cans.”

PABC supplies international customers including Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, as well as domestic soft drinks brand Pakola.

Actual production in 2022 reached 723.5m cans with an 88% utilisation rate. This compared with 545.13m in 2021, with a 78% utilisation rate.

Management has indicated that future production capacity could be increased to about 2.5 billion cans per year at its Faisalabad unit, where it hopes to move its registered head office, subject to an Extraordinary General Meeting on 23 June.