In an interview with "Eqtisadiat"magazine, Michael Laverty, CEO of Fine Hygienic Holding, said: "Our clients are in more than 80 countries... And the Kingdom is one of the five largest markets in the region. We operate 10 factories in the MENA region. Fine Guard masks with Swiss Livinguard technology helps eliminate 99.99% of the coronavirus. We hold approximately 30% of the global market share."
Interview: Rashid Al-Sanea for Eqtisadiatmagazine.
Michael Laverty, CEO of Fine Hygienic Holding Company, confirmed that his company's clients are deployed in more than 80 countries around the world, and that the group currently operates 10 factories spread in the Middle East and North Africa, specifically in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Egypt And Morocco.
In response to the "economics", Laverty said that in response to the Corona pandemic, the Fine Guard mask was launched last February, which includes Swiss Living Guard technology that has been scientifically proven to eliminate the virus by 99.99%, and manufacturing facilities in Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Sri Lanka are working on Producing more than 30,000 mask daily. We also seek to increase our production masks by investing in an additional manufacturing facility in Dubai. Fine Guard gloves have also been launched, and sterile wet wipes will soon be launched.
He pointed out that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia represents one of the largest markets in the group, and how the Kingdom is considered one of the five largest markets in the region for the group, explaining that the Kingdomis on the threshold of an enormous stage of economic and cultural transformation.
And to the text of the dialogue:
First of all, could you give us a brief overview of Fine Hygienic Holding Group? And their products?
Our group has been a pioneer in the field of public health and manufacturing hygienic paper and diaper products for more than six decades, starting from our headquarters in Amman, Jordan, and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, to provide our services to our clients spread in more than 80 countries around the world . We currently operate 10 factories spread across the Middle East and North Africa, specifically in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Egypt and Morocco.
Fine Health Hygienic Group is well-known in the markets it serves for its high-quality and diversified products, including facial tissues, table napkins, kitchen paper towels, toilet paper, baby diapers, elderly diapers and large manufacturing paper rolls. We focused on public health and sustainability aspects and applied best practices in manufacturing processes, which contributed to expanding our product range to offer reusable masks, gloves, and wet wipes, and we launched a sterilization solution service for companies and commercial spaces. We also launched in the field of healthy and natural drinks through the acquisition of a majority stake in Nay Arab Food Company in 2019.
Fine Hygienic Holding Group provides the market proactively with products that contribute to reducing the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic. What are these products, do they meet health requirements and do they protect consumers?
Our group has started manufacturing personal protective equipment, such as reusable gags, under the umbrella of the "Fine Guard" brand to help boost safety levels in communities during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In response to the pandemic, the launch of the Fine Guard mask came last February, which includes Swiss Living Guard technology that has been scientifically proven to eliminate the virus by 99.99%, which contributed to boosting demand for its use in the regional and international market. To meet the increasing demand for the Fine Guard mask, manufacturing facilities in Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and Sri Lanka are producing more than 30,000 masks daily.
We also seek to increase our gags production capacity by investing in an additional manufacturing facility in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. We will now launch two additional products within the Living Guard product line, namely Fine Guard Gloves (recently launched), and wet, sterile wipes.
The group announced that the process of manufacturing its products is germ-free to ensure consumer protection. Can this technology be explained to us, and is it used in the manufacture of all products of the Fine Hygienic Holding Group?
I am pleased to confirm that our paper products including facial tissues are completely sterile by using patented SteriPro technology, which allows us to provide consumers with sterile and safe products. SteriPro technology is based on the use of ultraviolet rays to sterilize, and it eliminates 99% of germs, which reduces the possibility of products being exposed to it.
These actions have contributed to Fine's award for "Best Contract Brand" for sterilization products by the Institute of Family Health and Hygiene, which brings together selected elite public health and medical experts in the United States who work to study and adopt health best practices from around the world.
We had launched earlier this year a set of personal protection kits, such as masks, gloves and Fine Guard napkins (to be launched soon on the market) and all use the Swiss Living Guard technology, which eliminates germs, viruses and fungi at the molecular level most effectively. I would also like to point out that this technology does not use any harmful chemicals, which raises the levels of protection that we provide to our customers. The effectiveness of the Living Guard technique has been proven through recent independent laboratory research conducted at three prestigious scientific facilities, namely the University of Arizona, the Free University of Berlin and the Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen University, Germany, where it confirmed its ability to eliminate germs by 99.99%, including the novel coronavirus. All products also received the recommendation of the International Medical Association.
The group recently launched sterilization services. Does this service include sterilization of commercial establishments, hotels, restaurants and homes, and what are the devices and products used in them?
Fine Integrated Solutions (the group’s business arm) launched a new service that focuses on disinfection and stop the spread of germs in various buildings, including restaurants, hotels, gyms, schools, laboratories, as well as offices, stores, factories, etc., to ensure peace of mind for operators in various sectors. It also provides services that meet the needs of homeowners working on precautionary measures to ensure the safety of their families.
The group also provides a solution that includes treatment measures and waste management to ensure the safety of post-sterilization. It should be noted that the company provides all its services through a team of specialized sterilization experts who are equipped with complete personal protective equipment, such as suits, gloves and fine guards. The products used are distinguished by obtaining credits from various authorities, and they are approved by the relevant authorities in each of the regional markets.
Through this service, we offer a wide range of cleaning solutions and a complete system that prevents the spread of germs, viruses, fungi and other pathogens, including the novel coronavirus.
Fine Health Holding Group launched the Expert Mother Academy, in partnership with the Al-Mentor Net self-learning platform, can you explain to us the goal of launching this virtual academy and what is its target audience?
We are proud to launch the Expert Mother Academy project, as this electronic tool aims to provide free content, including 35 videos and courses offered under the supervision of the World Medical Association in the United States to help new mothers provide the best psychological and educational care for their children, during their early development stages. This intensive course will allow mothers to raise a generation of happy and healthy children, and we are proud of our support for this Academy and all mothers across the region.
What are your future plans to develop more products?
As one of the world's leading public health groups, at Fine we are committed to charting a better future. This commitment is at the core of all our activities, from our wide range of products through our sustainable production methods to our innovative health solutions that put consumers at the forefront. This is what prompts us to enhance our range of comfortable and reusable products, from practical sports masks to gloves and wet wipes. All of these products will draw a brighter future for the individual and the world at large, especially as they are reusable, as they are made using environmentally friendly textile and material technology ensuring safety and comfort for customers. We follow the same philosophy to create a wider range of paper products designed to enhance public health. Our efforts to develop and launch new products revolve around shaping a brighter new future, and we will continue our endeavor to develop new products and services based on this fundamental philosophy in all our decisions.
What do you think of the Gulf region market in general, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in particular, for you?
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of our largest markets. As one of the most prominent brands in the fast-moving consumer goods market in the Arab world, we are proud of our activities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and in the Gulf market in general.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which is considered one of our five largest markets in the region, is on the cusp of an enormous stage of economic and cultural transformation, and the Kingdom has always been at the center of our concerns since the establishment of our first presence in 1978. As is the case with any of the markets in which we operate, comes Consumer health and safety are our top priorities and goals. In a related context, the focus was on launching Fine Solutions for sterilization in the Saudi market, to support the Kingdom's initiatives in promoting business recovery there.
Do you produce all of your products in local factories or do you import them from other countries?
We have 27 different production lines in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and we work through production and distribution facilities in both Riyadh and Jeddah to produce a wide range of products such as face and pocket tissues, table cloths, nappies and many more. Our production capacities in the field of tissues reach approximately 66,000 tons during the year, while our total capacity in the field of diapers reaches 285 million pieces during the year.
In addition to our focus on the consumer side of the Kingdom's needs, we have an arm that specializes in institutional dealings, working exclusively to cover the needs of the hotel, restaurant and cafes sector in the Kingdom. Fine, in turn, provides integrated services to various commercial entities such as offices, industrial facilities, health care institutions, and others. On the regional level, we work to manufacture products in ten factories throughout the Middle East and North Africa, specifically in the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Egypt and Morocco, while our products reach more than 80 different markets around the world.
What is your market share now? Do you expect to increase it in light of your tendency to produce and market new products?
We enjoy a leadership position in the health paper products sector in the MENA region, where we acquire approximately 30% of the market share, but this varies according to our geographical presence.
We continue to rely on the best technologies available in the sector, and we are always keen on developing innovative internal tools to ensure the sustainability of our ability to commit to manufacturing high-quality products in line with the best international standards and practices that allow us to achieve customer satisfaction and preserve our natural resources at the same time. We are confident that our efforts will allow us to continue to enhance our diversified portfolio of products and increase our market share alike, as we have succeeded, during the current year, in diversifying our portfolio by launching a number of new products and services, including masks, gloves, Fine Guard napkins, and sterilization services solutions Cutting edge.
Are the Fine Hygienic Group's health products considered recyclable that contribute to reducing the environmental impacts of waste paper?
Conservation of the environment is a very important issue for us, as a group that relies on sustainable environmental resources and as citizens of this world. We are proud to be part of the United Nations Global Compact Network (UNGC), as we were the first paper mill in the region to join this network.
We are also keen to plant five trees for every tree used in production. All of our products are made from 100% virgin pulp healthy paper from farms and suppliers with the highest levels of awareness and environmental responsibility, as we are keen on dealing with suppliers with international accreditation, such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Forest Accreditation Certification Program (PEFC).
We also adhere strictly to the responsible waste management means, and we are keen to cooperate with external contractors to ensure that most of the waste from our activities is recycled for further use. We proudly managed to achieve our goal of zero waste sent to landfills throughout our operations. We are sending everything we want to dispose of to our recycling facilities for use again, among other types of manufacturing activities.
As for Fine's sterilization solutions, we are keen to use approved sterilization materials, and we have developed appropriate waste management measures to be an essential part of the sterilization process.
Looking at the single-use gags, which the world is currently using because of the Covid-19 pandemic, it will end up in landfills or oceans, and we are talking about billions if not trillions, knowing that many of them are made of non-degradable materials Bio-organic, such as non-textile plastic materials, which abound with dangerous pathogens and slowly degrade, and this would end up in the food chains of many animal species.
The Reusable Fine Guard mask has a one-year efficacy thanks to the two-year Living Guard technology if it is equipped with the N95 filter system, which is equivalent to 1095 masks intended for single use. In light of our endeavors to enhance health and safety levels during the current crisis, it is important to direct part of our focus on future affairs and post Covid-19 era thinking. These are the decisions that support our operations, and this is what prompted us to launch Fine Guard Comfort, as well as our work to add gloves to our diverse portfolio of reusable products. It should be noted that these products are made of tissue and not plastic, which leaves its positive effects on the environment in the long run, and is considered safer thanks to the technology that we have adopted.
Given the continuing pandemic, what advice would you like to provide to clients and their family members?
In light of our efforts to reduce the outbreak of the pandemic, we stress the importance of using sterile health products, as well as focusing on hygiene, where institutions such as the International Medical Association and the Institute of Family Health and Hygiene have recommended hand-washing with regular anti-bacterial soaps. The use of sterile wipes and other products when drying hands is equally important. For our part, we recommend the use of sterile and reusable masks and gloves, as well as the use of sterile wipes to clean surfaces before use. The adoption of trusted brands that strive to sterilize their products is the best choice for promoting health and hygiene in the pandemic era, as sterilization is the best way to prevent infection.
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