Edmond Karim Named NCPC Deputy General Manager

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Effective 26 September 2007, Edmond Karim will assume the position of Deputy General Manager of Napco Consumer Products Company (NCPC) in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

Edmond first joined Napco Group in 1994 in the Accounts Department in National Paper Company Limited (NPCL) in Jeddah. Since then, he has assumed a number of challenging positions, including Accounts Manager and Plant Manager.

In 2005, Edmond joined NCPC as Marketing Manager for the Eastern Province and GCC countries.

Join us in wishing Edmond success in his new position!

Mohamed Wadi Named General Manager of NPCL

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Effective 25 September 2007, Mohamed Wadi will assume the position of General Manager of National Paper Company Limited (NPCL) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Prior to this move, Mohamed was General Manager of Napco Consumer Products Company in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

Both companies are members of INDEVCO Consumer Products Division.

INDEVCO Human Resources to Put Employment Application Online

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Shortly, job seekers must submit a new online job application instead of e-mailing CVs.

INDEVCO, headquartered in Ajaltoun, Lebanon, regularly recruits a wide range of professionals - for manufacturing, marketing, customer service, information systems, accounting and finance, and other positions – for its manufacturing plants and sales offices around the world.

With e-mail a favorite form of communication, the Inbox of INDEVCO Human Resources (HR) Department receives a heavy flow of incoming CVs from interested job seekers.

In the near future, however, candidates must complete an online application to be considered for a position within INDEVCO’s 50 affiliate companies.

Features of INDEVCO Online Employment Application

The new online form, with the following five steps, will collect the same information required in INDEVCO’s printed job application:

• Step 1 - Personal Information


• Step 2 - Employment Preferences


• Step 3 - Education & Skills


• Step 4 - Work Experiences


• Step 5 - References & Submit
  

New Users

New visitors will be asked to create an account with a user name and password; this information will be required to enter the online application each time they return to the application.

Flexible Access

As applicants proceed from one step to another in the online application, their information is automatically saved. They have the opportunity to depart the form and later return to complete the application.

Easy Updates

Applicants can log in at a later stage – months after or longer – in order to update their information online.

Navigation

A status bar on each page alerts candidates to their current step.

Submission Confirmation

Applicants receive on-screen confirmation, after they submit their employment applications, as well as e-mail confirmation that the form has been received by the HR Department.

Privacy & Security

Information provided in application forms is 100% confidential and only used internally at INDEVCO Group for recruitment purposes. Information is not shared with third parties outside the group.


Until recently, information from e-mail CVs was manually input into the HR Department’s software. Within months, as well, applicant CVs were no longer up-to-date.

With the online employment application, candidates can maintain their applications, with information transferred automatically into HR’s data bank. For INDEVCO HR Department, the online employment application means efficient processing, interviewing, and selection of candidates.

Phoenix Machinery Supplies Blister Tooling

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Pharmaceutical manufacturers in the Middle East-North Africa region get personalized service from CNC part manufacturer.


Lebanon-based Phoenix Machinery sees potential in the Middle Eastern pharmaceutical and biotech industry, “one of the strongest emerging markets”1 in the sector and “a strong growth opportunity”2.

An estimated 450 manufacturers across the region operate in a market, which is experiencing double-digit annual growth and which is valued at over US $28 billion.3

As manufacturers need suppliers capable of producing new and spare replacement parts for their pharmaceutical machinery, Phoenix Machinery’s strategy has been to concentrate on producing high-quality blister tooling for packaging pharmaceutical tablets and capsules.

In addition, the company has adopted a personalized method to gain the trust of such major players in the region as Gulf Pharmaceutical Industries (Julphar) based in Ras El-Khaimah, UAE.

Qazi Zaheer, Engineering Department Manager at Julphar, confirms, “Phoenix Machinery meets European standards at very competitive prices. They have an experienced engineering approach and high quality of work.”

Blister Tooling for Pharmaceutical Packaging

Phoenix Machinery supplies a range of blister tooling parts for leading brands of intermittent and continuous rotary thermoforming machines, including Bosch (Servac and others), IMA, Klockner, Noak, Uhlmann and other brands.

Blister tooling parts range from feeding channels, simtab, forming stations, guide tracks, sealing plates, transfer drums, perforating stations and cutting stations.

Three-Step Personalized Customer Service

Phoenix engineers tailor blister tools to customers’ specific needs, as identified in the company’s three-step personal approach to customer service.

Rabih Osta, Phoenix Operations Manager, explains, “We are always ready to design and manufacture high-precision new or replacement machined components based on our customers’ requirements.”

The personal approach is comprised of three types of visits:

Connect with the Customer

A sales engineer visits a prospective customer to assess the project, explore required tools and technical dimensions, and recommend solutions for machinery upgrade and productivity improvement.This first visit is crucial in building a connection with the customer and in determining exact requirements.

A quotation is then sent along with a CAD-designed and engineered layout of the required blister.

Develop Detailed Technical Report

After the quotation has been approved, a technical engineer visits the company’s manufacturing plant and compiles a detailed report of the machine process, part design and detailed dimensions prior to production.

Install & Provide After-Sales Service

A technical team installs the manufactured part on the customer’s machine to ensure satisfactory performance. Phoenix Machinery’s after-sales service guarantees quality and timeliness.

“Through personal visits,” says Osta, “we strive to build long-term relationships with customers rather than focus on individual transactions. The focus on relationships creates mutual benefits for us and our customers."

Interested parties may send detailed specifications and drawings for blister tooling to info@phoenixlb.com to launch the quotation process.

Company Background

Founded in 1998, Phoenix Machinery started as a machinery refurbishing center. Today, Phoenix Machinery operates four major production centers: CNC components center, asset recovery center, automation center, and new machinery center.

Address
Phoenix Machinery sal
Safra, Kesrwan, Lebanon
PO Box 11-2354
Beirut, Lebanon

Tel: +961-9-855 690
Fax: +961-9-855 696
E-mail: info@phoenixlb.com
Web: www.phoenixlb.com

Novello Bathroom Vanities Now Available At Snaidero Middle East

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Snaidero Middle East welcomes a new Italian into the family.

Snaidero. Wery. Move. And now Novello.

Novello bathroom vanities are the latest addition to Snaidero Middle East’s selection of distinguished kitchen, wardrobe and walk-in closet brands. Novello collections can be seen online or in person at showrooms in Lebanon.

Novello Collections

Novello began as a carpentry workshop in 1956 and, over the decades, focused on product development. By introducing new materials for bathroom furniture – the latest, crystal - and improving design and functionality, the company’s collections suit bathrooms of any size or desired style.

Snaidero Middle East offers Novello’s prestigious Superellisse collection designed by the well-known Marco Piva, as well as Klass, Green, Kiss, and Trend collections. Novello re-launched the last three as part of its 50-year anniversary celebration at Milano Salone del Bagno 2006.

Interested parties - architects, home and project owners , and dealers - may contact Snaidero Middle East online about Novello bathroom vanities and other brands.

Showrooms

Novello bathroom vanities are also on display at Snaidero Middle East’s Zouk Mosbeh and Homeline Jnah showrooms in Lebanon. New showrooms will open shortly at Homeline Zalka and Homeline Jounieh.

Company Background

Snaidero Middle East, established in 1996, has developed a solid distribution network throughout the Middle East, with headquarters and manufacturing facilities in Lebanon and 12 showrooms in Bahrain, Cyprus, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Address

Maryann Rassi, Product & Marketing Manager
Snaidero Middle East sal
Christ Le Roi Highway
Zouk Mosbeh, Lebanon
PO Box 2616
Jounieh, Lebanon

Tel: +961-9-209 007
Fax: +961-9-209 008
Email: info@smemig.com

maryann.rassi[at]snaidero-medline.com

COMPACT Upgrades Materials Testing Laboratory

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COMPACT provides detailed certificates of analysis on its composite film packaging.

Napco Composite Packaging Technology Ltd (COMPACT) of Dammam, Saudi Arabia has recently finalized an upgrade to its in-house testing laboratory.

The composite film manufacturer supplies well-known multinational food and other manufacturers throughout the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

George Armache, Marketing & Development Manager at COMPACT, says the laboratory

“allows us to meet the ever changing needs and challenges of new packaging applications. We also satisfy our customers by providing safe and high-quality products.”

Certificate of Analysis

COMPACT’s Technical Department tests each step of the production process under specific sets of conditions and procedures. The company then provides customers with a detailed Certificate of Analysis to demonstrate conformity to the most demanding material requirements.

Available Tests at COMPACT Laboratory

COMPACT lab is equipped with appropriate tools and other equipment to conduct simple through advanced testing procedures that include, but are not limited to:

• Accelerated aging
• Bar code scanning
• Coefficient of friction measures
• Dart impact testing
• Elongation testing
• Fluorescent testing
• Gas chromatograph testing
• Grammage testing
• Incubation & heat exposure
• Lamination bond integrity
• Lamination bond strength
• Lamination degradation
• Rub testing for ink peeling
• Sealing testing
• Static testing
• Tear resistance
• Tensile testing
• Thickness measure testing
• Treatment testing
• Vacuum leak testing

The Laboratory Manager reports directly to COMPACT Technical & Quality Assurance Manager. “Quality assurance remains a prime goal of the management,” confirms Armache.

Company Background

Established in 1993, Napco Composite Packaging Technology Ltd. (COMPACT) manufactures a wide range of mono-layer, laminated and coated film structures for manufacturers in the food and beverage, medical and industrial sectors. Its composite film packaging products are enhanced with computerized color-matching and flexo or roto printing.

Address
Napco Composite Packaging Technology Ltd. (COMPACT)
2nd Industrial City, Street #133
Dammam, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

PO Box: 31 646 - Al Khobar 31 952
Al Khobar 31 952

Tel: +966-3-812-1244
Fax: +966-3-812-1322
E-mail: info@napcocompact.com
Web: www.napcocompact.com

Center of Technical Excellence (CTE) to Standardize Industrial Performance

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INDEVCO Paper & Containers Division centralizes technical expertise and services.

Throughout its first year of operation, the Center of Technical Excellence (CTE) has developed a range of services to gather technical know-how in one central and easily accessible location.

The CTE was formally established in August 2006 to serve corrugated manufacturing plants within INDEVCO Paper & Containers Division in the Middle East and North Africa:

• Easternpak (Dammam, Saudi Arabia)
• Unipak (Halat, Lebanon)
• Unipak Nile (6th of October City, Egypt)

"We’re like a vault where you put your valuables," describes Dani Khoury, CTE Manager. "If you need to fetch them again, they’re easily available. This is really important for our plants, for upper management and owners."

Khoury and the CTE team have concentrated first on providing technical training, conducting facility audits, and analyzing markets. Over the next year, they will also begin to standardize the variables that will allow them to create a homogeneous system for industrial performance across plants in different countries.

Above: CTE Trainer Fouad Issa
CTE staff will train over 200 corrugated plant operators in Egypt,
Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia in 2007

Training As a First Step

Over 200 front-line operators and their assistants will receive technical training by the end of 2007. CTE trainers Fouad Issa and Toni El-Hachem spend around one month of every quarter on location at the manufacturing plants.

They attend "train the trainer" programs and visit plants to assess specific training needs. Then they customize content and train front-line operators about corrugating processes and converting processes.

"We don’t provide generic training," explains Khoury. "We customize it to the pain points or urgent issues at our affiliates."

An important aspect is tailoring the language to plant operators. In Lebanon and Egypt, for example, facilitators communicate in Arabic. In Saudi Arabia, Asian operators receive training in English.

In the post-training period, Issa and El-Hachem conduct gap analysis and report findings. They also return to the facilities to coach operators on the plant floor how to implement concepts discussed during training.

Facility Audits Too

In addition to technical training, CTE conduct 5S audits for housekeeping, workplace safety and machine cleaning and preservation at the plants. By following the 5 Ss - sort, set-in-order, shine, standardize, and sustain – it is possible to achieve a 5% improvement in efficiency.

When needed, plant operators and their supervisors review the 5S pillars to reduce waste and maintain an orderly work environment.

Then Industrial Performance Standards

With training in progress and the marketing function organized, the CTE will devote the coming year to establishing industrial performance standards.Of particular importance are comparative assessment criteria to measure performance across INDEVCO’s corrugated plants.

"Standardizing will generate trends, so that we can benchmark
across our affiliates and with industry best practices," says Khoury.

Within an industrial group like INDEVCO, opportunities exist to expand knowledge and processes to sister companies within the Paper & Containers Division, as well as to Flexible Packaging and Consumer Products business divisions. According to Khoury, an ideal glimpse of the future would include a center of technical excellence serving all INDEVCO manufacturing plants.


Background

The Center of Technical Excellence was founded in August 2006 to serve corrugated plants within INDEVCO Paper & Containers Division in the Middle East And North Africa (MENA) region. The CTE is responsible for technical training; marketing; performance assessment; quality, safety & hygiene management systems; and product development.

Address

Dani Khoury, Manager
The Center of Technical Excellence
Union Packaging Corporation Ltd. (Unipak)
Halat, Lebanon

Tel: +961-9-478 900 Ext. 336
Fax: +961-9-478 915
E-mail: dani.khoury@unipaklb.com

INDEVCO Attends Henkel MENA Supplier Day 2007

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INDEVCO corrugated plants present optimization initiatives to Henkel purchasing managers in Tunisia.

As accredited suppliers of corrugated packaging for Henkel, Unipak, Easternpak and Unipak Nile Ltd. participated in Henkel’s Middle East North Africa (MENA) Supplier Day on 30-31 August 2007. The event brought together carton packaging and folding box suppliers from across the region to Auberge des Lacs Hotel in Tunis, Tunisia.

Unipak (Lebanon), Easternpak (Saudi Arabia) and Unipak Nile (Egypt), members of INDEVCO Paper & Containers Division, manufacture laminated printed carry cartons for Henkel’s top-selling powder detergent brand, Persil. They also supply printed outer boxes that safely transport Henkel’s other home care and personal care products.

INDEVCO representatives included Mira Frem, Regional Sales & Marketing Manager based in Lebanon, and Dani Khoury, Manager of The Center of Technical Excellence in Lebanon. General Manager Emile Boustany attended on behalf of Unipak Nile, based in Egypt.

Cost Reduction & Optimization Initiatives

“We presented optimization initiatives currently used at our plants, such as how we deal with material specs, product specs, and our manufacturing process,” explains Frem. “We proposed initiatives to improve packaging quality and lower the total cost for Henkel.”

Material Specifications

INDEVCO reps first explained that the division centralizes paper specifications and quality grades for all corrugated plants, based on international standards and best practices. It assesses material performance with the Short Column Test (SCT) and conducts other material testing methods.

INDEVCO Paper & Container Division leverages on competitive pricing to procure approximately 140,000 MT of paper annually for plants in Lebanon, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. The larger the quantity of material procured, the greater the opportunity to pass on preferential prices.

Product Specifications

Second, INDEVCO corrugated plants develop accurate product specifications, based on SCT results and package life cycle data from Box Compression Test (BCT) estimates. They then validate specifications through lab testing.

Plants works with the customer to further optimize specifications by product life cycle segments. The end result is a strong, high performance carton when and where the customer needs.

Manufacturing Process

Third, reps then explained how INDEVCO plants optimize structural and graphic design of corrugated products by evaluating product performance via data collection and field trials and recommending cost-effective, high graphics flexographic pre-printing. Further, plants streamline the order and manufacturing processes for clients.

“Henkel Supplier Day enables INDEVCO Paper and Container Division to communicate the benefits of our regional presence,” explains Frem. “Our goal is to further develop the relation between INDEVCO Group and Henkel by implementing the initiatives we proposed.”

For More Information

Ms. Mira Frem

Regional Marketing & Development Manager

Union Packaging Corporation Ltd. (Unipak)

Halat, Lebanon

Tel: +961-9-478 900 Ext. 237

Fax: +961-9-478 915

E-mail: mira.frem@unipaklb.com

Web: www.unipaklb.com