Last July, Altajir Glass, the region's premier manufacturer of glass bottles, commissioned a third production line as part of a major expansion of the company's plant in Jebel Ali Industrial Zone.

The third fully automated production line has raised the plant capacity from 1.5 million to 2.25 million bottles per day and overall glass melting capacity to 540 tonnes per day. The addition of the third production line also enhanced the plant's capability to produce bottles ranging in size from 150 ml to 2.5 litres.

The project, costing Dh100 million ($27.2 million) was completed in just 85 days, which is an industry record, according to news reports.
'We are very pleased with the rapid progress we have achieved on this project,' said group deputy chairman Khalil Altajir. 'This was made possible thanks to the dedication and commitment of our contractors who have worked round the clock to ensure work is completed on time and to the highest standards.'

Many contractors were responsible for the different packages involved in the construction of the project. The project manager was Al Nibras Management Consultancy of Dubai while the consultant was ECG - Engineering Consultants Group.

Altajir Glass plant, which is accredited by several world quality assurance bodies and fully ISO 9001 and 14001 compliant, exports 95 per cent of its products to 43 countries, mostly in Europe.

The internally-financed project increased the total investments by the company in its facility to Dh550 million.  Altajir is set to launch another phase of expansion at a cost of Dh450 million which will double the capacity of the plant to 4.5 million bottles per day, making it the largest of its kind in the region.

The second phase of the expansion is to be completed in two years.
Altajir was set up in 1996 on a 50-acre plot with an initial invest of Dh450 million in seven months and has been growing ever since. Many reputed companies assisted at the different stages of its expansion project project to ensure the successful completion of the expansion.
The key players who participated in this project are: