Al Bayader International, the UAE’s leading manufacturer and supplier of packaging and cleaning solutions for diverse uses, today unveiled its newly expanded manufacuturing facility in Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza), enabling a self-sustained industrial ecosystem that will see its 1,700+ product range exported to the rest of the world.

 

The expanded plant doubles its production capacity to 18,000 tonnes per annum of food packging solutions, taking the overall production capacity across its six manufacturing facilities in the UAE and Qatar to 31,000 tonnes per annum. This is part of a significant AED200 million ($54.45 million) investment by Al Bayader International for a major industrial and retail expansion, said a statement.

 

Mariam Bint Mohammed Saeed Hareb AlMheiri, UAE Minister of State for Food & Water Security; Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO of DP World, and Massimo Baggi, Ambassador of Switzerland to the UAE and Bahrain inaugurated the expanded plant at a ceremony attended by senior DP World and Jafza officials including Mohammed Al Muallem, CEO and Managing Director of DP World, UAE Region and CEO of Jafza; Jamil Haddad, Chairman, Al Bayader International; and Nidal Haddad, Founder & CEO of Al Bayader International, government and private sector leaders and employees of the company. 

 

The Al Bayader International plant in Jafza South further complements the industrial strategy of the UAE to create additional in-country value creation and an expanded portfolio of ‘Made in UAE’ products that not only meets the needs of the nation but also are exported to several European, Asian, South American and African nations. 

 

The plant also completes a self-sustained industrial ecosystem as it has advanced technology to manufacuture its own machinery and moulds. 

 

AlMheiri said: “The expansion of the UAE’s food ecosystem is a priority for the leadership to enhance national food security, especially in light of its recovery from the global coronavirus pandemic.The fact that we have been able to navigate this crisis successfully and keep our food shelves stocked throughout is a testament to the strengths of the UAE’s National Food Security Strategy. 

 

"The expansion of Al Bayader International’s Jebel Ali factory is a significant component in this next stage and represents an important step towards contributing to the UAE’s overall food security ecosystem, as well as the newly launched industrial strategy “Operation 300bn” led by the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology and aims to enhance the industrial sector in the coming years. The food packaging solutions provided by the facility are an important factor in enhancing food safety by using national standards of food contact material, which contributes to enhancing our national food security. I commend Al Bayader for its efforts to increase its capacity and its sustainability initiatives, which reflects its commitment, and our other private sector partners, to helping ensure the UAE has the capacity to overcome any future food security crisis that we might face.” 

 

Bin Sulayem, said: “The strategic location of Jafza serves as a leading trade and logistics hub, connecting businesses to over 3.5 billion consumers with the support of Jebel Ali Port to thrive and strengthen trade relations with international markets. Building a logistics supply chain in the F&B sector, especially in the food packaging sector, which has been largely under-served, will enable the nation to boost the exports of these essential goods, and play a role in championing food hygiene and security. Al Bayader International’s expansion of its facility, despite the challenges of the pandemic, underlines the reputation of the UAE in enabling innovative businesses to thrive.”

 

Baggi said: “Switzerland has developed strong bilateral relations with the UAE in building the food and beverage sector, one of the few industries not significantly impacted by the pandemic. The growth of the Swiss F&B industry was also underlined by our investment in advanced packaging to preserve food and ensure quality exports. Al Bayader International’s expansion of its manufacturing plant using high-end Swiss machinery will contribute significant value to the UAE economy by facilitating more exports and by supporting the domestic SME value chain.”

 

Haddad said:”Al Bayader International is a company ‘Made in the UAE for the World’. As our nation prepares for the next 50 years, with a stronger focus on domestic manufacturing and in-country value creation, we are privileged to play our role in strengthening the food packaging industry. The expansion of our facility is another milestone moment in our journey. We have always been committed to transforming our busines model and be an agile organisation that meets evolving market needs. Through this facility we can serve the entire food packaging supply chain through locally made products. We thank Her Excellency Mariam AlMheiri, His Excellency Sultan bin Sulayem and His Excellency Massimo Baggi for their presence at the opening, which shows the strong commitment of the government and national champion companies such as DP World to support and encourage homegrown enterprises.”

 

The inauguration of the facility was followed by a tour of the factory by the visiting guests. Nidal Haddad provided them an overview of the advanced machinery at the plant as well as the sustainability features integrated within the facility to make it eco-friendly. The expanded plant also highights the industry innovation by Al Bayader International, which holds 10 patents of design moulds for food packaging solutions from the US Patents & Trademark Office. 

 

Al Bayader International recently opened its flagship retail outlet in Dubai on Sheikh Zayed Road next to the Toyota showroom near the Oasis Mall. This complements the larger expansion plan of the group for 2021 to open more retail outlets across the UAE as well as grow its business footprint to Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The company already has four successful retail operations in Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah, Ajman and Al Ain. Imminent openings include in Fujairah and a second outlet in Abu Dhabi. 

 

Focused on safety, practicality, quality and innovative packaging, the company has set standards in food packaging led by its four core values of sustainability, design thinking, transparency and passion. 

 

The company’s products include single-use tableware, single-use food containers, baking moulds and sheets, bags & wrapping systems, cleaning & hygiene products, food decoration items, foil and film rolls, paper products, and bottles & jars. Al Bayader was one of the first accredited Middle Eastern packaging companies to obtain the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points Certification (HACCP) – and the BRC grade AA by the end of 2018, an internationally recognised standard.

 

With a dedicated team of over 1,000 employees from 30 nations, and the support of over 400 business partners and over 9,000 satisfied customers, the company delivers unbeatable value to the global food and beverage industry. 

 

With an extensive product portfolio of over 1,700 products, Al Bayader International owns and operates six manufacturing and nine logistics locations. The company leads several GCC markets with a substantial market share, while steadily increasing penetration into markets further afield, including Europe and Africa.

 

Al Bayader International serves supermarkets, hypermarkets, convenience stores and the global F&B industry through hotels, casual dining restaurant chains, cafeterias, coffee shops, catering companies, foodstuff traders, airlines, hospitals and more. Headquartered in Dubai, Al Bayader International’s UAE manufacturing plants are located in Sharjah and Jebel Ali.  - TradeArabia News Service