About Us
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Clifton Products is a Cape Town-based manufacturer specialising in custom printing and packaging solutions for paper and board products. We produce bespoke and wholesale packaging for retail, corporate, promotional and presentation applications.
Our product range includes custom gift boxes, rigid boxes, printed retail packaging, branded presentation packaging and other bespoke paper-based products.
Most of our production is handled in-house, including lithographic and silkscreen printing, foiling, embossing and debossing, laminating, varnishing, die cutting, folding, gluing, assembly and packing.
With more than 20 years of experience, we manage projects from concept and print through to finishing and dispatch, supplying customers across South Africa and selected international markets.
Disaster Strikes
On Saturday, 31 October 2016, disaster struck Clifton Products at the busiest time of our year. We were operating seven days a week, with both day and night shifts running to meet the Christmas rush.
At around midnight, we received a call from ADT to say that there was a fire at our premises. The fire brigade responded quickly, but the blaze was devastating. Nothing could be saved. Our machinery, materials and completed Christmas orders due for delivery that Monday were all destroyed.
For a family-owned business, it was an overwhelming moment. Our family and several staff members stood together and watched the company we had spent 20 years building disappear in the flames. By 8am on Sunday morning, around 50 staff members had gathered outside the building, shocked and emotional at the scale of the loss.
We had lost virtually everything: machinery, stock, materials and years of accumulated production resources. The fire also highlighted an important lesson about insurance. Our insured values included VAT, while our internal estimates had generally excluded it, as is common in financial reporting. Even with a fair insurance settlement, rebuilding a manufacturing business from the ground up proved far more costly and complex than expected.
The most important thing, however, was that nobody was injured. We were also determined to keep every member of staff employed.
What followed was an extraordinary team effort. Staff worked wherever space and equipment could be found. We operated from different locations around Cape Town, using equipment and facilities made available by other companies, often working night shifts because there was not enough space to accommodate everyone during the day.
The support we received was remarkable. People donated chairs, tables, telephones, cutlery and other essentials. Clients remained loyal, staff stayed committed, and suppliers and other businesses helped us keep moving forward.
Our first priority was to complete our clients’ Christmas orders. Against the odds, we managed to continue trading and delivering.
It took almost a full year for Clifton Products to return to normal operations, but the experience became an important part of our story. It tested our resilience, our relationships and our ability to adapt under extreme pressure.
Most importantly, it reinforced what Clifton Products has always been built on: loyal clients, dedicated staff, strong family values and the determination to keep going, no matter the circumstances.
Now we are stronger than ever
The future
Clifton Products remains a proud, family-owned business with a strong focus on long-term growth, quality and continuity.
The company is led by Mr and Mrs Wighard together with their sons, Carl and Marc, who joined the business after completing Business Science degrees at the University of Cape Town.
Over the years, the next generation has combined financial and management expertise with hands-on technical knowledge of packaging, printing and production. This blend of experience helps ensure that Clifton Products continues to evolve, invest wisely and respond to the changing needs of its clients.
With a strong foundation, experienced leadership and a continued commitment to innovation, service and quality, Clifton Products is well positioned for the future.
Our History
The introduction of gift bags marked the next stage of growth, but the real turning point was the move into gift boxes. That changed the direction of the company completely. What began as a small publishing business with only a handful of employees developed into a specialist manufacturer with deep expertise in paper and board construction.
In 2000, Clifton Products secured its first corporate client, opening the door to larger custom manufacturing projects and sustained business growth.
In 2013, Clifton Products acquired Tocor Industries, a related business specialising in packaging and display solutions for the jewellery market. Tocor has since been fully integrated into the Clifton Products group while continuing to serve its specialist market.
Over the years, the business has grown significantly in scale, capability and technical expertise, evolving from a small garage-based operation into an established Cape Town packaging manufacturer serving a wide range of local and international clients.