First Co is a company familiar with producing high-quality packaging material under pressure – after all, it is one of the leaders in the paper and packaging market in Egypt. Its customers include multinationals such as McDonald’s, Proctor & Gamble, Unilever and Samsung.
Ahmed Hamdy Mansour, factory general manager at First Co for Industrial Development in Egypt teamed up with Bobst to install twelve lines within First Co since 2007, which included two FFG 8.20 Discovery machines, Bobst’s latest flexo folder-gluer. The first FFG 8.20 Discovery flexo folder-gluer was installed earlier in the first half of 2018 followed by the second one.
Even more important is the two world production record that First Co achieved, first on 2 February 2018 with the help of the first FFG 8.20 Discovery it installed and a month later on 1 March with the second.
First Co’s first feat saw the company set a new productivity record for the number of square meters in a single 8-hour shift (62,811 square meters), while the second beat the world record for the number of boxes produced in a single 8-hour shift (a staggering 117,995 boxes).
“We are extremely proud of achieving these world records. We finally managed them through a combination of our incredible people and an incredible machine,” says Mansour.
Raising the bets
Mansour was aware of his company’s stature, abilities and the clients it was catering to. But having been with the company since it was founded in 2007 – he wanted to go the extra mile.
“The world record was important to everyone at the company,” he said. “We had tried to achieve it before but never managed it. It made us more determined and we really pushed ourselves – everyone in our team has a fighting spirit and a will to achieve something amazing, and I am so proud of them. But it is not just the people. Not any machine could have done this. We needed a Bobst machine to reach this next level,” says Mansour.
Not surprising that after signing the First Co deal in 2007 for ten machines, in the next four years it invested in further two machines (which are these- the FFG 8.20 Discovery kit?).
“Bobst for us is not a supplier of machines,” explains Mansour. “They are our partners. They are a completely reliable company – not only in terms of the performance of their machines, but their after-sales service as well. You name it, everything is perfect concerning our partnership with Bobst.”
Leading the way
The machine in question, the FFG 8.20 Discovery, is a super-efficient flexo-folder-gluer, says Mansour.
Why? Because, Bobst claims that with a two-minute set up time and easy drive with only two operators, it is simple to use. And it’s advertised production rate of 18,000 boxes per hour is eye-catching.
So what else specifically appealed to First Co? “We immediately liked the ease and accuracy of feeding; the mechanism of the feeder is excellent,” says Mansour. “The Rapidset system for changing orders was also very appealing. The folder and counter ejector are very good; the folder mechanism overcomes fishtailing and any other such problems during folding. It is also extremely reliable.”
And these world record has meant a surge in First Co’s business.
“Of course, as you can see from the world records, our production has increased,” Mansour continues. “We have also increased our level of quality. Our customers are rightly very exacting when it comes to quality control. All of this ultimately means that we have increased our market share, so we are very happy with the two FFG 8.20 Discovery machines we purchased.”
Building partnerships
First Co has become one of the leading players in the Egyptian paper and packaging market with a focus on quality, service, competitive prices and new product innovation.
And just as it’s important to forge a partnerships with suppliers, Mansour says, it is also important that we build a genuine partnership with our customers.
“First Co prides on these partnership with both customers and suppliers,” says Mansour. “This is actually one of the main things that First Co. offers – it is not just a supplier-customer relationship with our customers – we are genuine partners; we want to understand what they are trying to achieve, and we try to help them to accomplish that. We always try to be flexible to accommodate what they need. If a customer of ours is expanding, we will take that into consideration, investing heavily so we can meet their needs. Ultimately it is still a family business, so establishing those relationships is very important to us.”
An exciting time ahead
Mansour expects business to keep increasing propping up its future, and productivity.
“Yes, absolutely,” he said. “We are always working on that. It is an increasingly competitive marketplace in Egypt, you can never rest. To be among the very top companies, you have to keep increasing your numbers, whether that’s in terms of productivity, raw materials, machines – so we are not going to stop,” says Mansour.
One of the tasks on Mansour’s hand is to get a combination of machines that will be able to deliver all box sizes that are needed for its customers. “We are looking to add two more Bobst flexo folder-gluers – the FFG 924 NT RS and the FFG 1228 NT, to get to our goal,” signs off Ahmed Hamdy Mansour.