Meet The Team
The Industrial Tech team is a group of passionate individuals who have individually gained a wealth of experience in the Packaging Industry over the years. They have teamed up to provide a comprehensive service covering all aspects to ensure that our customers classify us as a dependable business partner.
Lukas Appel
Director
Lukas did his apprenticeship as an electromechanical fitter and qualified as a tradesman in 1992. Over the next decade he worked at building power plants and private airline support. He switched over to the plastic industry, working on thin-wall injection moulding products / machines in 2005. Lukas worked at the company that pioneered in-mould labelling; the only company at the time that offered 12-cavity in-mould labelling in the Southern Hemisphere.
Lukas went on to join the pharmaceutical industry in 2009, and in 2013 he joined a company working with the Marchesini Group. His first installation on a Marchesini Line was completed in that same year. Since then, Lukas has successfully completed 11-line installations on 73 machines.
Currently the Marchesini Group has 12 lines with a total of 92 machines in South Africa, and two machines in Botswana.
Belinda Appel
Administrator
The youngest member of the team, Belinda brings a fresh perspective and a lot of enthusiasm to the table. As an Administrator, she sees to the smooth running of the office. From filing various documents to creating invoices and billing clients to supporting the team, Belinda is dedicated to making sure everything is in order.
Belinda’s creativity helps her to excel in her role, and she prides herself on contributing to the company’s success. Outside of work, she enjoys going to the gym, drawing, and crocheting, which keeps her energised and inspired.
Jaco Jones
Director
Jaco started out in the computer programming space (Visual Basic, Turbo Pascal), in 2000. He then spent eight years in the hardware industry selling and buying and moved over to brick manufacturing.
Jaco joined the packaging sector within the pharmaceutical industry in 2013, where he ran production and maintenance of Marchesini equipment. He installed two more Marchesini lines in 2017, and in 2020 joined a company working with Marchesini, installing new equipment. Here, Jaco was responsible for dealing with breakdowns, maintenance, and spare parts supply. He has 11 years of pharmaceutical packaging machinery experience. Jaco also has experience doing fabrication work with stainless steel, mild steel and aluminium, and the manufacturing of parts. He joined Industrial Tech in 2023.
Keegan Mills
Service Technician
After matriculating, Keegan worked at a reputable rigid plastic manufacturing company in Johannesburg, South Africa. The technologies he gained extensive experience on, included single stage injection, stretch blow moulding and injection moulding. In addition to in-house training, Keegan completed an advanced course in injection moulding setting. The company also produced containers in extrusion blow moulding, and while this was not the department that he worked in, he was fortunate to be exposed to this technology; especially during night shifts.
Keegan is currently studying mechanical engineering part time. He joined Industrial Tech in March 2024 as an Intern. Here, he’s learning a great deal about packaging machinery and technologies. Keegan visited Marchesini in Italy for training and looks forward to learning and growing with the Industrial Tech team.
Kelvin Mills:
Sales Director
Kelvin began his career in the metal industry, earning a mechanical qualification before moving into plastics in 1995. Starting from the ground up, he became a Production Manager specializing in EBM, ISBM, and IM technologies. He later served as Technical Manager at a leading company, overseeing the production of large containers using industrial EBM. Kelvin then joined a company supplying plastic processing equipment to South Africa, where he became a Director and shareholder.
In 2014, Kelvin became Managing Director for a major Italian plastics company in South Africa, where he established a new facility producing millions of plastic bottles annually. He later joined a large personal care business as Operations Director, overseeing the establishment of a new facility that supplied products to 140 countries.
In 2020, Kelvin re-joined the Italian company as Regional Director, managing operations in South Africa and Egypt, including a significant expansion project in Egypt.
In 2024, Kelvin joined Industrial Tech as a Partner, where they supply and service packaging equipment for the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and plastic processing industries across South Africa and surrounding regions.