PETpla.net Insider 04 / 2012

EDITOUR REPORTS 29 PET planet insider Vol. 13 No. 04/12 www.petpla.net Altintas Ambalaj Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S. (Goldcap) We met: Mr Cem Altintas, Commercial Director Tin plate, aluminium and polyolefin closures - all under one roof* Altinas in Ankara came to plastic caps from operating a classic closure business. Today the company produces 2 billion PET closures. In view of their origins in crown bottle caps and taking into account their established associa- tion with Sacmi, it is quite natural that the plas- tic closures should be manufactured on Sacmi machines. Mr Cem Altintas is the second generation of his family to manage Altintas. This family concern was set up in 1963 to produce bottles and closures and has succeeded in making a name for itself over the following years. With the move into the first Industrial Area of Ankara in 1990, the company expanded into premises with a total floor area of 15,000m². Today it employs 80 people and operates a 3-shift system. Later, Mr Altinas goes on, the company changed its production strategy and, based on experiences in previous years, they concentrated exclusively on closures that they have since been able to offer in the variants PCO 1810, aluminium twist-off caps, crown caps, and aluminium lids for foodstuffs in glass jars, in any colour and, on request, with individual print. These are produced on machines from Sacmi. Altintas today ranks as one of the most important man- ufacturers of closures in Turkey and exports to 20 Euro- pean countries, the Caucasus and the Middle East. With its “Goldcap” brand introduced in 2000 (the name comes from Altintas’ name which means “golden stone“) the company generates an output of around two million closures per year Much has happened since that memorable day in May, d PETplanet special correspondent Kay Krüger was fortunate indeed to catch up with Ell (or as he is known in real life, Eldar Gasimov) to discover just how winning the contest has changed his life. In a wide-rang- ing interview Ell talked about the Eurovision Song Contest, and about how he got together with Nikki, as well as his plans for the future. Touring to far-flung places, living out of suitcases, and the stressful schedules can take a heavy toll and it can be difficult to keep a sense of perspective. This is just one reason why Kay was keen to talk about non-musical things, including such important topics as what is Ell’s favourite beverages packaged in PET bottles. Sadly, Nikki (real name Nigar Camal) wasn’t able to join us for the interview due to family commitments. She currently lives in London with her husband and two daughters. At the appointed hour of 10.30pm, we met at the Opera lounge, one of Baku’s fashion- able nightspots, and our chosen venue. Like the star he has now become, Ell had just stepped off the London flight and had dashed into town for our interview. Ell has creativity in his blood, like his great-grandfather and his grandmother before him (they were distinguished Azerbaijani actors and stage directors). So where did Nikki come in? They first met and formed a duo in February 2011, after each of them had to be continued on page 30