EDITOUR PETplanet Insider Vol. 26 No. 05/25 www.petpla.net 13 United Factory for Preforms and Packaging (UFPP) adjusts cost screw for preforms Mastering cost control in a competitive market by Alexander Büchler With a focus on lean management and strategic production planning, Ashok Arumugam, Factory Manager at UFPP ensures the factory’s efficiency, balancing demand fluctuations and optimising capacity to maintain a competitive edge while keeping prices low. Interview with United Factory For Preform And Packaging (UFPP) // September 22, 2024 We met: Ashok Arumugam, Factory Manager “Here in the region, sales are mainly based on price,” reports Mr Ashok Arumugam, Factory Manager. Consequently, he has to move heaven and earth to ensure that the costs do not get out of hand. From lean management to plant utilisation and weight reduction, he is working to keep costs low. The factory was opened in 2017 and went into full production in 2019. Ashok produces the classic water preforms for the region. The secret of his success is to keep costs low in order to offer customers a good price. This also includes lean management, for example. He manages the company with just four group leaders, each responsible for quality and production. Oman has a capacity of 10 million preforms/bottles per day. However, only a maximum of 5 million are needed. In addition, consumption drops significantly during the summer school holidays, as pupils drink from family bottles or dispensers at home rather than taking disposable bottles with them. Ramadan also has an impact on consumption, as devout Muslims do not eat or drink during the day at this time. So Ashok thinks about how he can utilise his production capacity. Due to its favourable pricing, the company exports to Tunisia, Jordan and Bahrain. Now he would also like to deliver to the Emirates. Ashok also restricts itself to longterm orders for cost reasons. Shortterm small batches do not fit into his thought process. He is also considering a product expansion in the form of CSD preforms, even if the market here only accounts for a fraction of still water sales. The CSD preforms are currently imported. To keep costs in check, it is also necessary to reduce the preform weight. He has therefore now developed new preforms that are thinnerwalled but longer. For example, the weight of the 200ml preform can be reduced from 8.22 g to 7.5 g; for the 300ml preform from 10.72 g to 9.98 g. The bottler needs less energy to heat up the new variants. He produces three shades of blue: dark blue for Oyses and two shades of sky blue. The bottles can easily be returned to the recycling cycle with the colours. What is important here in the Gulf States is a low acetaldehyde content, which he keeps in check with scavengers even at the 45 degrees that prevail here in summer. Despite all the discussions about costs, one thing is very important to Ashok. If the customer has problems with their preforms or systems, he is there for them. He goes over to see them and can usually solve the problem. All these products are manufactured on a top-entry Netstal 600 t with Otto Hofstetter 128-cavity mould. In another Netstal system, we find a Z-moulds mould for producing caps for 29/25 standard preforms. Ashok is convinced that these are the best solutions from a technological and economic point of view, even if the purchase costs are higher than those of comparable moulds from other manufacturers. www.ufpp-qatar.com EDITOUR Fl.t.r.: Alexander Büchler and Ashok Arumugam in front of the top-entry Netstal system with Otto Hofstetter moulds View into the Z-Moulds mould Long, thin, light - this is the new preform generation from Ashok
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