PETpla.net Insider 06 / 2015

EDITOUR REPORT 14 PET planet insider Vol. 16 No. 06/15 www.petpla.net Independent supplier and regional solidarity preform sector, APPE Morocco has an estimated market share of around 56%. The company also uses preforms from its own group from time to time in order to cope with capacity bottlenecks and these preforms are subsequently imported into Morocco. “We have a clear vision of what we want to do”, says Mr Afelad. “In the future we are looking to expand our export business in Africa to gain a foothold in that market”. Market studies being carried out by APPE Spain are already underway in the regions of interest and a factory in Algeria is also planned for 2015/2016. www.appe.com www.husky.co Les Huileries du Souss | June 23, 2014 We met: Mr Nabil Houssine, Technical Director, Mr Belhassan, CEO and Mr Houssam Slimi, Husky Representative North Africa f.l.t.r.: Houssam Slimi and Nabil Houssine In Agadir we visit not only the plastics division but also the edible oil production facility operated by Les Huileries du Souss (HSB), a company based not far from the sea. We were welcomed to the Plastics Division by Mr Nabil Houssine, the Technical Director, who was formerly with Tetra Pak for a number of years, as well as the CEO of the parent group Belhassan, Mr Belhassan himself. According to Mr Houssine, the Plastics Division more or less repre- sents the headquarters of HSB from an operational point of view. The history of the Belhassan Group begins more than 60 years ago with the production of olive oil. Today the company has around 5000 employees and is still under family management. Nowadays Belhassan comprises, in addition to HSB, the companies SBGS, licensed bottlers for Coca-Cola and covering the south of Morocco, Cibel, active in the production of canned fish, Domaine Nora, responsible for the cultivation of oranges as well as two real estate companies and one marketing company. But let’s stay with HSB, which was set up in 1976. Today, in addition to the production of various types of edible oil, packaging / production and marketing activities are carried out in the coffee, tea and margarine sectors. “It has always been particularly important to us to affirm our commitment to the local area, the southern Moroccan region of Souss, and the Belhassan family which has its roots here and to reflect this in the way we go about our lives, hence the name “Huileries du Souss’”, explains Mr Houssine. Let’s concentrate initially on the Plastics Divi- sion, some 10km outside the centre of Agadir. The site is still relatively new. Until three years ago the Plastics Division was to be found at a different location in Agadir. It has since relocated to the new facility during a series of expansion exercises. Nowadays the company employs 250 people in a 3-shift operation on a plot measuring around 30.000m 2 . In addition to PET preforms, the portfolio also comprises closures and handles together with margarine tubs. Container with freshly produced HSB preforms There are two type G300 Husky machines in opera- tion that were taken over from the previous site and six Netstal Synergy 2400s for caps, handles and margarine tubs. In the preforming area the belt width accommodates 18g, 25.5g, 35.5g, 48g, 60g, 75g, 91g and 125g of PCO 1810 and PCO 1881. The current output for PCO 1881 is 380mill. preforms annually. This equates to roughly 10,000t