Qatar Plastic Products Company (QPPC) has installed a new extrusion line and printing machinery and is building a warehouse to prepare for an expansion in production capacity.

Board member and general manager Hassan Al Rashid said production of FFS film, top open bags and blue sleeving would expand from 3,500 tonnes in 2002 to 5,000 tonnes by the end of this year.

The company also produces around 1,000 tonnes of shrink film, greenhouse foil, construction foil and stretch hood.
QPPC, owned jointly by Qatar Petrochemical Company (Qapco), Qatar Industrial Manufacturing Company (Qimco) and Febo of Italy, is the first company of its kind in Qatar to transform polymer into packaging materials.   It was established in September 1998 at a cost of QR42 million ($11.5 million) and a shared capital of QR27 million. Production commenced in August 2000 in Messaieed Industrial City.

Qapco supplies LDPE to QPPC, thus boosting per capita consumption of polyethylene in Qatar. Qapco, along with Q Chem and other companies, also buys some of QPPC’s finished products.

QPPC products are extruded in modern blown film lines. All operations are controlled by a sophisticated computerised system, which automatically checks the thickness and width of the film.  The printing process uses flexographic lines for up to six colours. The printers are provided with a controlled winding system to ensure constancy of tension in winding from the very beginning to the end, thus eliminating problems such as film blocking.

QPPC was granted the ISO 9001:2000 certification. The company’s products are mostly consumed within Qatar and are approved for use by official bodies. For example, its polyethylene blue sleeving has an approval certificate from the Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa). The Qatari Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture accepts its construction foil and heavy-duty trash bags.

One of QPPC’s most important products is the FFS film, which can be used on fully automatic or semi-automatic packaging lines. It comes in width of up to 800mm with or without gusseting and has a thickness of up to 300 micron. The roll diameter extends up to 1,500mm. It can be packaged in three rolls per pallet as well as in custom specifications. The FFS film also lends itself to embossing or printing antiskid for the perfect stability of the packed goods on pallet.

The shrinkable film that QPPC produces comes in a tubular shape. It is used for covering pelletised products and provides protection and stability during transportation.   The film has a total perimeter of up to 6,000mm with gusseting and a roll diameter of up to 1,000mm. It is possible to add colours and other material to ensure stability of the film under different climatic conditions and during storage.

QPPC’s top open bags are used for the bulk handling of various materials. They are available with or without printing, with or without gusseting and can be neutral or coloured.  They have a total flat width of up to 720mm and thickness from 100 to 200 microns.

 The company makes blue sleeving - a tubular film in polyethylene used o cover water pipes — using virgin raw materials.
Another QPPC product - greenhouse foil - is a polyethylene sheet with UV absorber/UV stabiliser added on to it. Anti-fog and IR additives also may go into the production of the greenhouse foil. QPPC says it examines UV stabilisation to guarantee the best result for every kind of situation.

The company makes heavy-duty trash bags using recycled polyethylene. The recycled polyethylene is produced in the company’s recycling plant and uses only controlled production waste.

A useful product for contracting and bricklaying companies is the construction foil. It is a polyethylene sheet that is monofolded, neutral or winded in rolls and available in different dimensions depending on customer specifications. It has wide applications for contracting companies and brick-laying firms. The mechanical properties of the construction foil follow the ASTM D4397 standard.