Fujairah Plastic Factory is building on its growth since 1982 with a goal of being the region’s ‘number one Flexible packaging factory’, Khalid Al Kaabi tells Packaging MEA
Since being founded in 1982, Fujairah Plastic Factory has developed from running its first facility in that emirate to operating four plants in the UAE, serving export as well as domestic markets with a broad range of products.
Khalid Al Kaabi, who manages the company set up by his father, ascribes this success to a framework of integrity as well as top-quality products, an approach that has won industry awards and recognition.
“Our meticulous approach in production and dedication to our clients has strongly established our brand legitimacy,” he said. “Our corporate responsibility extends to care for the environment with the advocacy to use only eco-compatible plastic technology features in all its products.”
In harmony with the environment, Fujairah Plastic Factory is an active participant ensuring all its products offer environment-friendly solutions that are 100% recyclable and biodegradable without compromising quality, safe of use, aesthetic designs, and durability, he added
Fujairah Plastics’ oxo-biodegradable plastics production now covers: LDPE/ HDPE plain and printed bags with up
to 8-colour option for supermarkets, boutiques, agricultural products; polypropylene bags for textiles and for garments used as flap, hanger, adhesive types; UV-stabilised greenhouse sheets up to 9m with 300 micron thickness; flame retardant film; polyethylene sheets in rolls up to 9m width and 300 micron thickness for use in construction and multipurpose industrial uses; shrink-wrap covers for wrapping pallets during transportation and storage of cement bags, beverages; heavy-duty garbage bags for municipalities, maintenance, companies, domestic use.
The company currently produces about 24,000 tonnes of polyethylene sheets and bags per year for a client base in the GCC, Africa, Europe, and the USA.
Tell us about your journey into the plastics in packaging business.
Fujairah plastics group started 35 years back and we are the pioneers in this sector of business. With a capacity reaching more than 3,000 tons/month, we are specialised in the blown film and lamination business. We are located in four places in the UAE: Fujairah, Ajman, Sharjah, and Al Ain. We export almost 70% of our production and sell 30% locally (within the GCC). We are already certified for many big companies and groups like Coca-Cola, Pepsico, and Nestlé. We have been supplying these conglomerates for a long time now. This is briefly about our group: It’s a self-owned company by my father Khalifa Al Kaabi and I have been managing this company for the past 16 years with my wonderful team.
How is the perception of plastic packaging affecting your business?
Years back everybody was fighting plastic. Everybody was saying plastic was not really environmentally friendly. Nobody wanted
to use plastics. But for the last three years, the UAE government has made a study and formed a law that all factories in the UAE must use oxo-biodegradable materials. This is really very helpful because, you know, plastics take 400 to 1,000 years to degrade, but with this material it takes only six months to one year. And consumers prefer products to be wrapped in very clean hygienic materials. So now there is no issue. It is eco-friendly and more economical, so why not?
PMEA: Do you see a shift from cartons?
We can feel it. Year by year we can feel it. To be very honest, it’s growing. I don’t have any figures but it’s growing. Because we always participate in exhibitions, we encounter
many people who are using these products and they want to diversify, so buyers are increasing their supply of flexibles as the demand is also growing.
What is the growth trend?
It can vary sometimes but we are talking about 5-10%.
What influenced your recent investment in a KBA Flexotecnica?
Sometimes honestly I can see a CI Flexo really as having the same quality as gravure. So why not invest in a technology that’s similar to gravure and more affordable? Flexo plates are HD digital now and therefore we can achieve high-quality plates quicker. But at the end of the day, gravure has to be there. It will not pass away.
Is further expansion planned?
At our new plant in Al Ain, we have started the first phase. Two more phases are to come up shortly. We are talking about that in the next two or three years. To be very honest, what we are aiming to be is we want to be the number one flexible packaging factory in the region. We are working so hard to be there. We are investing so much in that with machineries and also with experienced people. And this we thank the market and thank the suppliers who are pushing us to do that because we have the experience of 35 years and we have been built by two generations. So I believe we deserve it and thanks to everyone who supports us and we are reaching there. We have just finished first phase one, we are getting to phase two, and hopefully we are pushing phase three very soonest.