Whether its ensuring packaging food safety or achieving minimal waste/maximum recycling, or keeping staff loyal and happy, First Print Technical Manager Reda El Assai tells Packaging MEA why the company stands out from the pack.
Since its inception in 2009, First Print has played an important part in enriching the packaging market in Egypt and the wider Arab region through the field of offset print. First Print is powered by the latest technology, highest capabilities, enormous energies and state-of- the-art presses and converting machinery from German manufacturer Koenig & Bauer and Switzerland’s Bobst, respectively. Furthermore, the company is ISO- certified. Technical Sector Manager Reda El Assai says this enables First Print to meet all customer needs with the highest levels of service, across all sectors of the packaging industry, including top-ranked companies in both Egypt and beyond.
Q&A
Ben Daniel (BD): Give us a brief background about First Print.
Reda El Assai (REA): We launched in 2007. We installed the machinery in 2008 and started production in May 2009. Our focus has always been on having the right machinery for the multinationals and not just the local market. We now produce 9 million small boxes of Clorets chewing gum using specialised machinery. Some of the products we manufacture are specialised and intricate, such as Lipton Tea, McDonalds boxes, and so on. We strive to be differ- ent from our competitors. We have chosen the best brands in the world to work with. We have an auto- matic ink dispensing system from Technotrans for all our printing machines, and for testing inks and allied substrates and chemicals, we have a specialised QAQC Lab. Ninety percent of our workforce are fresh recruits who we train here in our factory. We now have 1,000 workers who can provide 24/7 cover across three shifts.
Our aim has always been to stand out from our local competitors and, thank God, so far we have been successful.
Vikram Fotedar (VF): Tell us a bit about your product portfolio in terms of machinery and its capabilities.
REA: We also have two paper mills, three wide web flexo printing presses, and a corrugation line. Within the next three months we will have three flexo lines and two offset lines.
BD: You say you have set your- self apart from your competitors in Egypt. Does that mean you export a lot, or are you a class apart in terms of quality?
REA: We mainly work with Egyptian packaging companies who are printing for brands and companies that export. Secondly, these brands have opened new markets in countries like Morocco and Jordan. They export directly. The others are indirect exports as well.
BD: These brands are based in Egypt?
REA: Yes.
BD: Sixty percent of your output is food grade, and non-food is the remaining 40%, correct?
REA: Yes. We are the main supplier for Samsung here in Egypt, with almost 80% of their cartons and corrugated boards supplied by First. McDonalds is one of our main customers in the F&B sector. Good pack- aging for F&B products is becoming more and more important where consumers are ready to pay a little more for safe and hygienic packaging. If the sandwich costs Egyptian £40, almost £10 of this is the box, and they are willing to pay this. Our production/conversion in terms of tonnage is approximately 2,500 tonnes a month, comprising 1,000 tonnes of corrugated board production and 1,500 tonnes of mono carton/folding carton boards. We import our boards and all substrates stock directly from the mills and we have a five-year contract with most of our suppliers.
Our inventory storage facility is state-of-the-art and fully computerised systems-driven.
VF: And what flutes do you do?
REA: We do all kinds – single, double, three layers, five layers, and so on.
VF: You have mastered carton-based packaging. Any plans to venture into the flexible packaging segment?
REA: We see a trend where consumers are changing from plastic to carton. People are moving away from plastic. So, will stick to what we are good and grow within this sector.
BD: In short, you have no plans to get into flexibles. Is it because there are issues related to polymers in terms of recycling and sustainability?
REA: We are moving from polymer to carton and paper, and this will be the trend in the future. This will be the case with bags, too. We are waiting for Egyptian environmental legislation.
VF: How do you see the market for short-run digital in packaging? Do you have plans for that?
REA: I am hoping. May be in the next two years. It is too early to say anything.
BD: How are you able to achieve this kind of standard and quality? You have state-of-the-art machines and you mentioned that 90% of your staff are trained by you.
REA: Good question. We have 20 years’ experience. We have learnt from our mistakes and have avoided repeating them.
The first two presses and converting lines came together at the same time and therefore started one by one to cater to the local market. We have a system in place and we stick to that. We choose the right people for the right kind of job. We work as a team. If we come up with a new product, we work together from the beginning. New investments are decided on as a team and not by an individual. Workers are given good bonuses.
Everyone gets very good benefits, which is why they are loyal, because they know if they perform well they will benefit monetarily. The key to staff retention is offering very attractive incentives. We have had workers who worked elsewhere for maybe just a week and then they come back to us.
Now we are focusing on reducing waste. We are trying to maintain it at 2.5% for all products at all stages. The total production waste for corrugated is 5%. We have a daily report on waste management and one unique sustainability initiative we have implemented is that we reuse all our waste products.
BD: How do you do that? Do you have a recycling plant?
REA: Lamination is used as an outer packaging tray for Clorets chewing gum. We also use it as a secondary packaging for other work. Most printers concentrate on print-production waste and are not focussed on post-consumer waste. There is waste at every stage. Hence, keeping it at 2.5% is not easy. To increase the profit and save the environment, we create awareness among the workers and technical team about this.
VF: When visiting most presses, you see a lot of waste. Here, it is very clean. There is just enough material near each machine for a small period of time. We don’t see random waste every- where. It is very interesting to see the corrugation facilities and how well that is organised.
REA: Cleanliness is a part of our work ethic, and we observe it strictly. And the owner pays heed to the workers. They receive medical cover and a bonus to go to Hajj.
BD: Are there any major developments we can announce here?
REA: You can announce that we are about to install a master foil Koenig & Bauer 106 – six colours with coater (the company’s fifth 106 machine).
BD: What kind of jobs do they do?
REA: Samsung, LG, Toshiba TV boxes and high-graphic boards and also F&B cartons.
VF: Are there any major trends in Egypt?
REA: Pharmaceuticals and food are the fast-growing sectors. Polybags to paper bags is another trend. People are investing in the packaging sector. For many publishers, the trend is to move from books to boxes. The market is huge. They are very particular and punctual about quality and delivery time. The brands we are dealing with are also expanding, for example McDonalds with McCafe.
BD: What was your growth from 2009 to 2019?
REA: About 10% growth yearly.
BD: Has the 2,500 tonnes come from 10% growth?
REA: It was 900-1,000 tonnes and now it is 2,500 tonnes. It is more than double. We have the capacity to do 3,000 tonnes.
BD: Can you tell us about the inks, adhesives and the paper you use? McDonalds will specify a particular grade because it is a top company. But there could be local brands in Egypt who will not specify but it is a food grade.
REA: All our inks are food grade. The Safe Food Consortium controls this. We are also BRC certified.
BD: Do you have an in-house facility for dye-making, or do you make it outside?
REA: Marbach does it.
BD: What about luxury packaging?
REA: The quantity is small, hence we are not very keen. We have big machines which are primarily for mass production for five to 10 top brands. Luxury is a small part of our production.