New beginning at Crown Emirates starts with an end

Mid May saw standard and printed ends begin to roll off the plant's new endmaking line, with round the clock production commencing in early July following full installation of two conversion presses.

The new line will produce 1.5 billion 206 diameter ends per year - around 4.6 million each day - for some of the region's largest soft drinks fillers.

In addition to its Dubai operation, CROWN operates a further 4 can plants in the Middle East and North Africa: CROWN Arabia Can Company Ltd. in Dammam, Saudi Arabia (formerly CCSA), CROWN Jeddah Beverage Can Factory in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (formerly JBCMC), CROWN Middle East Can Co. Ltd. in Amman, Jordan and CROWN Maghreb Can in Tunis, Tunisia.

All of these plants are Joint Ventures with CROWN partners, A.H. ALGOSAIBI & BROS. The ALGOSAIBI GROUP is a large Saudi holding company with a broad range of business interests. CROWN's partnership with the ALGOSAIBI GROUP in the Middle East dates back more than 25 years.

Commenting on the news, Ralph Lambert, Vice President CROWN Middle East said: "Installing and opening a new endmaking facility is always a challenging operation so we are delighted that the process has run so smoothly. As the longest standing packaging manufacturer in the region, we are constantly investing in technology and processes to meet the needs of our customers and this new line will enable us to satisfy growing local demand for both printed and standard ends."

Mr. Saud Algosaibi, Managing Director of AHMAD H. ALGOSAIBI & BROS. also said: "We are pleased to know that line has been started on time. It is a pleasure to continue to serve our customers."