Stowers and Pact Group – Setting the Standard for Steel Drum Supply

ADVERTORIAL: STOWERS

Through Stowers Containment Solutions, a division of Pact Group Holdings (NZ) Ltd, New Zealand honey businesses have access to a locally manufactured steel drum solution. Combining advanced manufacturing capability, rigorous quality standards and a strong commitment to sustainability, Pact delivers packaging solutions that support local and export honey applications.

Pact Group's manufacturing philosophy is built on a foundation of integrity, accountability and continuous improvement. Pact is committed to maintaining high standards of business ethics across all operations and stakeholder relationships. As a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact, Pact aligns its operations and business strategy with internationally recognised principles covering human rights, labour standards, environmental responsibility and anti-corruption.

Stowers provide the honey industry with the country’s only locally manufactured steel drums, to exacting food safety and quality standards and with short lead times from plants in Auckland and South Canterbury.

Environmental stewardship is an important focus for Pact Group. Pact Group is committed to supporting the circular economy, and the company continuously strives to improve the environmental performance of its operations, products and services. This commitment helps customers partner with a supplier that places sustainability at the forefront while delivering practical packaging solutions that meet commercial requirements.

Materials and Methods Providing Beekeepers the Quality They Need

The quality of every steel drum begins with carefully selected raw materials. Pact Group uses quality cold-rolled mild steel coil manufactured to controlled specifications for thickness, strength, hardness, surface finish and formability. These material characteristics are critical to producing steel drums that provide the durability, consistency and reliability required for demanding storage and transport environments.

Manufacturing is undertaken at dedicated facilities in Avondale, Auckland, and Temuka, South Canterbury. These strategically located sites provide nationwide production and distribution capability, helping customers maintain reliable supply across both the North and South Islands. Local manufacturing can provide greater responsiveness, shorter lead times and increased supply chain security.

Quality assurance is embedded throughout every stage of production. Both manufacturing sites are certified to ISO 9001:2015, demonstrating Pact Group's commitment to structured quality management systems, operational excellence and continual improvement. This certification provides customers with confidence that products are manufactured under applicable internationally recognised quality standards designed to ensure consistency and reliability.

Food Safety to the Fore

As a supplier of food-contact packaging, Pact Group has a strong focus on food safety. Both manufacturing facilities operate comprehensive risk-based Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) programmes. These systems identify, assess and control potential food safety risks throughout the manufacturing process, helping ensure that drums used for food products meet applicable safety requirements.

Pact Group's regulatory compliance team works to ensure that food-contact packaging solutions comply with applicable regulations and standards.

Additional manufacturing controls are implemented to protect product quality during storage and transportation. Steel drums are flushed with dehumidified air before dispatch to minimise internal condensation and reduce the risk of corrosion. This process helps preserve drum integrity.

Options to Meet Your Honey Needs

Pact offers steel drums in both Closed Head and Full Open Head configurations to suit a broad range of filling, handling and storage requirements. Customers can select the design that best matches their operational needs to support operational efficiency and product protection.

For specialised food and export applications, drums can be supplied with BPA-free internal linings as well as food-contact compliant plugs and flanges manufactured using materials that comply with Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/3190 requirements. These features make Pact steel drums particularly well suited to honey destined for European markets.

By combining local manufacturing, quality management systems, food safety expertise, regulatory compliance and commitment to sustainability, Pact Group provides steel drum manufacturing solutions for customers in New Zealand. Through Stowers Containment Solutions, customers gain access to dependable, quality steel packaging solutions that meet applicable regulatory requirements, supported by an experienced manufacturing partner committed to delivering long-term value and exceptional performance.