More than 20 years ago, speed was a major part of the proposition Lynda Finke and her husband, Graham, were building at Didget. The South African flexible packaging company helped brands create test-market samples, get products onto shelves, and move from idea to market quickly. Today, Lynda, the company's Director of Sales and Marketing, describes the company’s value differently. “It would be more about how do we solve your problem?” she said. That evolution has turned Didget into a partner for brands navigating increasingly complex packaging needs, including long digital print campaigns involving numerous SKUs, formats, and destinations.
Didget's problem-solving approach begins well before a large production run. Digital printing allows the company to help customers produce pre-production samples, test products in the market, and decide whether an idea deserves to move forward. But Lynda emphasized that a small test doesn’t receive small thinking. Didget considers materials, color, production efficiency, and how the packaging will actually perform because the customer needs to see something representative of the final product. The same capabilities can then support brands as they grow. Lynda described one customer that progressed from only a handful of SKUs to more than 100, with Didget now coordinating monthly production across different formats and deliveries to 18 packers.
Knowledge-sharing is another important part of how Lynda and Graham have built the business. “We feel the more we share, the better everybody does,” she said. That applies internally, where Didget invests in its people, and externally, where giving customers more packaging knowledge helps them make better decisions. It also extends into the surrounding community. Lynda described supporting entrepreneurs and smaller businesses with packaging expertise, including companies Didget helped during the COVID period because getting products onto shelves could make the difference in their survival. The company and its employees have also participated in community outreach efforts supporting children and schools.
Running a manufacturing business in South Africa adds another dimension to that story. Asked what it takes to operate and grow there, Lynda immediately offered two words: “grit” and “resilience.” Infrastructure issues involving electricity and water, transportation disruptions, protests, and a shortage of skilled workers can introduce challenges into an ordinary workday. Didget continually works to develop people while keeping production moving despite those uncertainties. Lynda joked that resilience means putting on her “cape and my mask” before heading to work each day, but the larger point is serious: Adaptability has become part of how she and the Didget team lead.
Lynda said the company intends to keep investing in equipment, expertise, and capabilities, with Graham often looking ahead to what the business might need next. They'll keep moving forward with the same philosophy that has worked for years: Solve the customer’s problem, share what you know, keep building your capabilities, and don’t let where you operate determine how far ahead you can go.
