Gulf Printing and Packaging, a subsidiary of Al Khat Packaging Co., one of the largest producers of printing and packaging materials in the GCC, has inaugurated its new UAE base in Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (KIZAD).
The new AED 100-million facility is located in the Food & Packaging cluster in KIZAD and will employ an estimated 200 people when it reaches its full capacity. The facility operates printing and packaging equipment from Heidelberg, Bobst, and Kohmann.
The new facility will provide print carton materials for McDonald’s in the GCC among other leading brands in the Middle East. As of this year, all the packaging used by McDonald’s in the UAE and Oman will be printed by Gulf Printing and Packaging in KIZAD. McDonald’s packaging operations are managed by HAVI, the global packaging supply chain arm for the fast food giant.
The facility will also produce folding paper packaging and printing products for other retailers in the UAE, in addition to other markets both regionally and internationally including Saudi Arabia and South Africa. All export-import activities will be done via Abu Dhabi Ports’ flagship Khalifa Port.
The opening of Gulf Printing and Packaging was attended by senior executives of Abu Dhabi Ports and Gulf Printing and Packaging as well as a delegation from McDonald’s and HAVI. During the event, the new brand identity of Gulf Printing and Packaging was also unveiled.
“We are proud that leading companies such as Gulf Printing and Packaging chose KIZAD as a home from which to expand their business,” said Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, CEO of Abu Dhabi Ports.
“This is testimony that we are heading in the right direction. We are confident that KIZAD’s strategic location and the services we provide will continue to facilitate the growth of Gulf Printing and Packaging and its clients by further leveraging the synergies found in our Food & Packaging cluster,” he added.
Mohamed Abou Khalid, CEO, Gulf Printing and Packaging, added: “The new facility in KIZAD is a centrepiece of our expansion strategy. Located just ten kilometres away from Khalifa Port and halfway between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, KIZAD allows us to be easily connected to a large number of international shipping destinations, world-class infrastructure, dedicated investor support and so much more. We look forward to continue serving leading brands in the MENA region through enhanced supply chain efficiencies from our new location.”
Gulf Printing and Packaging joins other global and regional food-industry related clients such as National Food Product Company’s (NFPC) and Brasil Foods (BRF), who have chosen KIZAD as its base of operations in the UAE.
