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PACKAGING FROM PORTUGAL

Alcan Packaging has had a strong base in Portugal for more than 50 years now. Abigail Saltmarsh looks at the operation and talks to managing director of the site Ricardo Soares about its future.

For more than half a century now Alcan’s packaging businesshas been growing in Portugal. Today an important cog in thewheel of the global materials company, it operates from a site

south of Porto, where it focuses on a number of different operationsin flexible packaging.

“The plan is to develop the facility here,” said managing director ofthe site, Ricardo Soares. “We are at the centre of a programme ofinvestment and therefore we expect to achieve continued growth herein Portugal over the coming years.”

A global leader in PackagingAlcan Packaging is a business unit of Rio Tinto Alcan. www.alcanpackagingfood.com

It is a world leader in value-added specialty packaging, ranking No.1 in flexible food, pharmaceutical, beauty and tobacco packaging, anddelivering innovative solutions using plastics, engineered film, alumini-um, paper, paperboard and glass to customers around the world.Chaired by Jean-Christophe Deslarzes, President & CEO, AlcanPackaging is headquartered in Paris, France, with 131 facilities and29,000 employees in 31 countries, it generated US$6,5 billion rev-enues in 2008.

Part of Alcan Packaging Food EuropeAlcan Packaging – Food Europe is the European leader in flexiblepackaging for the food and beverages market. Alcan Packaging – FoodEurope registered sales of $2.4 billion in 2008. It operates 31 plants in18 countries and employs 6,500 people.

“In common with all Alcan Packaging companies, we are very muchpart of the group and in many ways there is a global approach,” saidMr Soares. “We have for instance, continuous improvement andhuman resources programmes that are integrated, and there is a clearinteraction between the plant here in Portugal and the group. At thesame time the plant is itself a business unit with its own objectives andmanufacturing specializations.

Wide range of operationsThe Portuguese plant was established back in 1950 by a young engi-neer, explained Mr Soares. Since then the operation has been ownedby a number of big players before being bought in 1992 by Soplaril(Elf group) and becoming later part of the Alcan family.

From Portugal, Alcan Packaging serves its home market as well ascustomers located mainly in Spain and Morocco but also in severalwestern European countries. The company employs some 145 people

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at its site in the country and sees an annual turnover of €30 million.“Today we have a set of different operations here at the plant. In

flexible packaging, we have the capability of extruding Pe, printing andlaminating a large number of supports “explained Mr Soares. “We alsohave integrated operations for spout welding and the manufacture ofstand up pouches, special coatings etc.”

A specialist in packagingThe company has become something of a specialist in the manufactureof stand-up pouches, as well as packaging for coffee and condiments ,he said. It has developed a number of unusual, specialist products,including high quality but very thin and light laminates, giving excel-lent barrier properties to cardboards cans, free of any metal parts.

“We work very closely with our customers to develop the productsthey need,” said Mr Soares. “We had one customer who required a con-tainer that was “100 per cent” cardboard. The idea was that it wascompletely recyclable and yet was also a good barrier against oxygenand water vapour etc entering the product. We worked together on it,giving a good contribution to the great success of our customer.”

Responsibility for the environmentEnvironmental responsibility is key to theentire global Alcan Packaging operation. As agroup, it focuses on increasing the social andeconomic benefits and reducing the environ-mental impacts of its activities over the shortand long term, as well as becoming a moreprofitable and competitive organisation.

“We have a special eco-strategy for thefuture of this plant as well,” said Mr Soares.“We are seeking to run an operation here thatis clean and is responsible to the environ-

ment. We have recently invested €4 million in a complex system forrecovering solvents so they are fully reused in the process, highlyreducing the carbon footprint of our activity”

An attractive positionThe aim is also to continue to develop specialist packaging solutions,such as different shaped pouches and customer-specific laminates.Alcan Packaging in Portugal wants to be able to respond quickly and effectively to its customers’ needs, right through from unusual product concepts to the possibility of short runs.

“We need to be flexible,” said Mr Soares. “If we can continue to bring all these things together then we believe we can have a very attractive position in the market and can continue with sustainable growth.” �

Visit: www.alcanpackaging.com

“We work very closely with our customersto develop the products they need”