Crown Bevcan Europe and Middle East, an affiliate of Crown Holdings Inc, has begun the production of metal beverage can ends at its Dubai plant.

Mid-May saw standard and printed ends begin to roll off the plant’s new ends-making line, with round-the-clock production commencing in early July following the full installation of two conversion presses. The new line will produce 1.5 billion 206 diameter ends per year – around 4.6 million each day - for some of the region’s largest soft drinks fillers.
In addition to its Dubai operation, Crown operates four can plants in the Middle East and North Africa, namely Crown Arabia Can Company in Dammam, Saudi Arabia (formerly CCSA); Crown Jeddah Beverage Can Factory in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (formerly JBCMC); Crown Middle East Can Company in Amman, Jordan; and Crown Maghreb Can in Tunis, Tunisia.
All of these plants are joint ventures with Crown partners, AH AlGosaibi and Bros. The AlGosaibi group is a large Saudi holding company with a broad range of business interests. Crown’s partnership with this group in the Middle East dates back more than 25 years.
Commenting on the news, Ralph Lambert, vice president Crown Middle East, said: “Installing and opening a new ends-making facility is always a challenging operation so we are delighted that the process has run so smoothly. As the longest-standing packaging manufacturer in the region, we are constantly investing in technology and processes to meet the needs of our customers and this new line will enable us to satisfy growing local demand for both printed and standard ends.”
Saud Algosaibi, managing director of Ahmad H. AlGosaibi and Bros, remarked: “We are pleased to know that the line has been started on time. It is a pleasure to continue to serve our customers.”