After ten years of collaboration as a joint venture, Alpla (Hard / Austria; www.alpla.com) is to acquire 100% of the shares in joint venture Zamil Alpla (Dammam / Saudi Arabia) from its partner Zamil Plastic Industries (Al Khobar / Saudi Arabia; www.zamilplastic.com). The Austrian packaging manufacturer had previously held a 49% share of the JV and plans to continue running the company, with all employees, under the name Alpla. The contracts were signed on 27 December 2018 and the takeover is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2019. Details of the agreement have not been disclosed.

At the three sites of the former JV in Dammam and Jeddah (both in Saudi Arabia) and Dubai / United Arab Emirates, around 390 employees produce preforms and packaging made of HDPE and PET for home care, beverages, food, oil and lubricants as well as beauty care. Alpla opened its first plant in the Middle East in 2007 in Dammam – together with Zamil Plastic. The two other packaging facilities as well as a second plant in Dammam were later added.

The Saudi-based packaging manufacturer Zamil Plastic also has other joint ventures – Zamil Polipa Plastic Packaging (ZPPPC, Riyadh / Saudi Arabia) is a joint venture with Turkish manufacturer Polipa Plastic Company, which specialises in IML food packaging for the markets in Turkey and Europe.