QPPC capacity to surge 40 percent

August 2008 Volume 17 Issue 8 of Gulf Industry Online

       Qatar Plastic And Wooden Products Company (QPPC) expects production capacity to surge about 40 per cent with the introduction of multilayer film lines.

       The new lines will replace three monolayer lines with the process set for completion by mid-2009, a company spokesman said. Current capability is about 11,500 tonnes.

       "Multiple layer films are essential to guarantee the whole range of functions," commented QPPC general manager Mohammed Abdulrahman Hijji. "They will protect against sunlight and oxygen and have effective barrier properties as well as sealability and printability. The trend towards multilayer signifies both growth and added value as customers demand high film quality and cost efficiency to maintain a competitive edge.

       "For QPPC the multilayer film line will provide greater output with the same or improved quality and at the same or even reduced operating cost."

       The company converts polymer into packaging materials such as form, fill and seal (FFS) and shrink films and produces construction foil, general-purpose foil, greenhouse foil, top open bags and heavy-duty bags for the construction and industrial sectors.

       FFS products constitute some 78 per cent of all net sales and shrink films 12.5 per cent with the remainder made up by other material.

       QPPC's products are consumed by Qapco and Q-Chem, among other manufacturers. The company is working on a prequalification process to supply Qatofin once it comes on stream.

       It is certified to supply the Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa) for blue polyethylene sleeving. Certificates have also been issued by the Qatar Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture for construction foil and heavy-duty trash bags.

       With Qatar going through high-scale industrialisation, QPPC is assured there will be large-scale demand for its products.

       Commenting on the growing demand for plastic bags, Hijji says: "The rapid expansion in the petrochemical industry in Qatar threw open incredible opportunities for small and medium enterprises including QPPC. In fact the polyethylene production alone of Qapco, Q-Chem and Qatofin will require about 10,250 tonnes of flexible packaging by the end of 2011.With regard to this, QPPC has stratified its five-year (2008-2012) plan to meet demand since the current FFS bag production has already reached 6,000 tonnes, which is 70 per cent of our FFS capacity."

       QPPC uses Qatari-made polyethylene to manufacture its bags.

       Hijji said that while QPPC took great pains to observe quality standards, some construction companies used substandard polyethylene foils that had been recycled and were thereby unsuited for use on building projects.

       The company is promoting its construction polyethylene products saying they are designed specifically for waterproofing and damp proofing of roofs, walls, concrete roads, highways, airport runways and tunnels.

       Hijji was quoted in the press recently as saying that some buyers had complained that QPPC prices were high but that he would not compromise on quality.

       The company is owned by three shareholders, namely Qapco, Qatar Industrial Manufacturing Company and Febo of Italy, each of whom holds a third of the shares.