Alcan Packaging opens Indian facility
better serve the fast growing food and personal care industries in
the country.
The new manufacturing facility in Haridwar, Northern India, cost the Alcan Packaging $10m but will help the company build its presence in Asia. Indian growth opportunities "The dynamic Indian market represents an attractive opportunity for Alcan Packaging's strategy of growth," said Alcan Packaging CEO Ilene Gordon. She added: "This also expands our presence in emerging markets overall, which today represents approximately 20 percent of our sales." The new site, announced in February 2007, currently employs 48 people and is dedicated to producing flexible packaging for food and personal applications in India. "The plant began production on schedule in April 2008 and is already meeting our local and global customers' needs for high-quality packaging solutions," said Jean-Paul Meausoone, president of Alcan Packaging Food Asia. Presence in Asia Alcan Packaging has significantly expanded its operations in Asia in recent years and in 2007 it was operating on 15 sites in 10 countries and employing approximately 6,500 people. For example, the company purchased a manufacturing site in the Chinese Suzhou region in 2005 to produce packaging for the beauty and personal care industries. Meanwhile, it has been slimming down its operations in developed countries closing facilities in the US and Europe. Nonetheless, the Paris-based company remains focused on developed markets and is one of the biggest players in the industry generating $6.2bn in revenues in 2007. It delivers multi-material packaging products to customers around the world for the food, pharmaceutical, beauty and tobacco markets. The company is part of Rio Tinto Alcan. The ownership of the company changed in October last year when the mining group Rio Tinto bought Alcan for $38.1bn.
