PETpla.net Insider 04 / 2010

REGIONAL MARKET REPORTS 12 PET planet insider Vol. 11 No. 04/10 www.petpla.net In the hot fill sector New Marina Plast is the only com- pany in Africa producing hot fill preforms and hopes to open up whole new market sectors with the help of the preform user Juhayna. As far as caps are concerned the company has so far produced 30/25 and PCO 28 caps for still drinks. Amr Fathi is in talks with Rexam with regard to producing hot fill caps and 1881 cap for CSDs. Alongside organic growth, Savola is also looking to grow through acquisitions. If everything goes smoothly Amr Fathi wants to produce enough preforms in 2011 to require more than 40,000t of PET in Egypt for Africa. Taba Group The first of two Krauss-Maffei lines is currently producing small and large preforms on alternate months. In front of the machine are Alexander Büchler (left), Ahmed Shalaby, General Manger of the Taba Group, and Basant El Debaiky, the daugh- ter of the proprietor who has recently joined the company. The Sipa blower produces bottles from the preforms moulded on the Krauss-Maffei (currently an oval bottle for cleaning chemicals) From left to right: Basant El Debaiky, Ahmed Shalaby and Alexander Büchler New Marina Plast Amr Fathi, General Manger Amr Fathi, General Manager of Marina Plast (right) explains to Alexander Büchler the gradual take-over of New Marina Plast in Alexandria by Savola of Saudi Arabia. It seems that we have New Marina Plast to “blame” for this Regional Report on Egypt. When we reported on Saudi Arabia 5 years ago we also met Shihab Izzat at Savola. He told us all about the emerging Egyptian market and the expansion plans that Savola had, includ- ing preform production. So now that we are looking at Africa we naturally wanted to know how far these plans, and the market, had evolved, which is how our Egyptian report started. Savola took over a majority interest (70%) in New Marina Plast in 2006, and in 2008 a further 25% was acquired. The remaining 5% was acquired by Savola in 2009. Standard injection mouldings, such as garden chairs and household items, were not taken over. Savola concentrated on the production of caps for still beverages, preforms and plastic pots, plus in-mould labelling (IML). There are now 25 machines dedicated to IML work. Savola, as one of the biggest edible oil producers, not only in Saudi Arabia but also in Egypt, is therefore ensuring that the oil industry can supply its own pre- forms. Preforms for water, CSDs and also oil are sold on the open market. The company uses BMB moulding and Husky machines Husky. With a throughput of PET resin in 2009 of 20,000t New Marina Plast is the biggest preform manufacturer in Egypt. Together with the parent company in Jeddah the group buys 80,000t of PET per annum. Amr Fathi, General Manager of New Marina Plast, took over the management of the company just a few months ago. Previously he was 15 years at Savola in Saudi Arabia, where he held various senior positions. His main objectives are firstly to bring the software systems at New Marina Plast up to the standards of those at Savola, to ensure best practice in the production system, and to drive organic growth along with exports to the region. This is targeted at a minimum of 20% per annum. To support this aim there will be a new 96-cavity Husky line this year to enable them to cover the 1881 neck finish requirements of the whole CSD market