The Angolan company plans to triple its production capacity in the third phase of its expansion project, with new machines, new personnel, and the launch of new products.
An investment of over 10 million dollars by the Angolan business group IMEX has enabled the construction of the newest raffia bag manufacturing factory, inaugurated this Wednesday, the 10th, in Luanda, and marks the start of the third phase of the firm's expansion, according to a note from the entity sent to the FORBES editorial staff.
Operating in the country since 2002, the factory's inauguration was attended by government officials, including the Minister of Industry and Commerce, Victor Francisco dos Santos Fernandes, and his Secretary of State, Ivan Prado, as well as Humberta Paixão, the municipal administrator of Icolo e Bengo.
The business owners admit that the group's new venture is the largest raffia bag factory in Sub-Saharan Africa, as they wrote in a statement distributed to the press.
According to its strategic business plan, the IMEX group expects to triple its production capacity in the near future with new machines, new hires, and the launch of new products, namely printed laminated bags, BOPP bags for detergents, cement bags, Leno bags for potatoes and onions, bags with plastic film, and 1250 kg Big Bags.
According to the company, these products will have capacities of 10 kg, 15 kg, 20 kg, 25 kg, 50 kg, and 150 kg and can be used for charcoal, flour, wheat, rice, vegetables, and beans.
The total investment of over 10 million dollars has an 8,000 m2 structure, with a daily production of 250,000 bags, which allows the company, according to its management, to meet the needs of the national market in the country's industrialization process, and it also intends to export to countries on the African continent.
With a staff of over 450 employees, the organization projects that, in this new phase, it will create more than 200 new jobs, 190 of which are local, that is, for nationals, and 10 for expatriates.
The business management states that the group also operates with a continuous training and development program, and therefore "believes in and invests in the professional development of its staff." Furthermore, managers report that, since its founding in 2002, the company has invested a total of 25 million dollars in the country and has a total built area of over 30,000 m2.
According to the CEO of the IMEX Group, Ramzi El Houchaimi, this expansion is part of the group's growth strategy, which also plans to inaugurate an assembly line for household appliances under the international brands Beko and Defy next year.
Imex is located on the Catete road, KM 38, in the municipality of Icolo e Bengo, and in the provinces of Lobito, Huambo, Cabinda, and Lubango.
