Recycling initiative towards competitive eco-friendly products

Mr. Ricardo Gonzalez

IRNEA: What are the products of Asima Plastic Factory?
Mr. Gonzalez: Asima Plastic Factory manufactures and trades standard and customised sizes and designs of plastic shopping bags, garbage bags, construction rolls and warning tapes.

IRNEA: How strong is Asima on environmental ini t iatives and recycling management systems?
Mr. Gonzalez: Asima Plastic Factory has always been highly conscious of responsibility for a clean environment and follows the environmental regulations and procedures advocated by the Qatar Government. Asima is collecting plastic scrap from all over Qatar for recycling purposes. At our facilities, all kinds of plastic scrap are crushed, washed, dried and further on recycled and converted into small pellets following a melting process. That pellets are used finally as recycled raw material to produce new plastic bags. On average, we are recycling 120 metric tonnes of plastic on monthly basis and we are proud to say that a high percentage of our total production is made of recycled material. Additionally, we use D2W additives to manufacture oxo-biodegradable bags. We have been authorised by Symphony Environmental UK to use their additives to make degradable plastic bags based on our customer requirements. The local government authorities have not passed yet any mandatory laws for the production of oxo-biodegradable plastic bags but our international clients, particularly those based in Europe, hold a strong demand for such kind of products.

IRNEA: How strong and widespread is your consumer and supplier network?
Mr. Gonzalez: On annual basis, we are producing approximately 9,000 metric tonnes of plastic and 80% of our production is shipped outside Qatar to our international clients. We are releasing approximately 16 to 18 containers every month. Target countries are United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Spain and Northern Africa and our main competitors are based in China, Vietnam, India and Malaysia. Our primary raw material, polyethylene (PE), is supplied by Qatar Petrochemical Company (Q-Chem) and Qapco, one of the largest and sophisticated PE producers worldwide. Qapco is located only some distance away from our factory which makes us very competitive. Our supplementary materials such as calcium carbonate, masterbatches, other additives, boxes, etc. are supplied from UAE, India, Malaysia, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia and some European countries.

IRNEA: What is the company's unique selling proposition?
Mr. Gonzalez: For demanding customers requesting eco-friendly plastic bags, Asima is a brand of recycled and degradable products that guarantees excellent quality and design at affordable prices. Thus, our recycling initiatives ensure that our products are reasonably priced and hold good quality. We offer timely delivered products, according to different technical specifications. Additionally, we are dealing with some of the biggest players in the international plastic scenario and they believe in our quality and service.

IRNEA: What are the company's future targets in terms of sales, growth and expansion?
Mr. Gonzalez: Asima Plastic Factory aims to become one of the leading and most reliable plastic bag factories in the Middle East, shaping markets in Europe and North Africa. The company achieved its 2011 sales targets of 40 million Qatar Riyals and we hold similar targets for the operating year 2012. The factory size is 15,000 square metres operated by a working team of 100 employees, three shifts per day. Going forward, we hope to install new machinery to expand our portfolio of products by offering in the short term new stretch film solutions for the plastic sectorAir Jordan II High