Horizon Technology structure

Horizon Technologies was set up in 2007 to target the plastics recycling sector in the GCC. The firm owns and operates a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle recycling plant at a free zone in Fujairah, UAE.

Horizon Technologies is owned by several Omani companies. The majority owner is state-run National Mineral Water Company (NMWC) of Oman, with a 53.5 per cent stake. Other shareholders include Ruwi-based Sabco Group, Oman Emirates Investment Holding Company, Muscat Overseas Group and Bank Muscat. Sabco is the parent company of NMWC.

Horizon Technologies’ chairman is Sayyid Khalid bin Hamad bin Hamood al-Busaid. Its general manager, Rajnish Sinha joined the company in 2007 and is an engineer with a background in the steel industry. Horizon Technologies’ recorded sales of AED12.4m in 2009 – its first year of full operation.

Horizon Technology operations

Horizon Technologies’ PET recycling plant has the capacity to recycle up to 2,000 tonnes a month of used plastic bottles, but generally receives around 600-700 tonnes a month. This is equivalent to 10-12 per cent of the UAE’s overall PET bottle usage.

The company has two business divisions: HorizonPET and HPET.

HorizonPET focuses on the production of non-food grade recycled plastic known as PET flakes and food-grade recycled plastic, known as rPET chips.

HPET produces food-grade and non-food grade packaging from recovered bottles, including PET jars and bottles, blister packs for pharmaceuticals and plastic egg boxes. The firm uses technology designed and supplied by Germany’s B+B Anlagenbau and Austria’s Starlinger to recycle the plastic.

Horizon Technologies has waste supply agreements with the municipalities of Fujairah, Sharjah, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Ras al-Khaimah. It has also signed recycling deals with local mineral water producers, Al-Ain Mineral Water Company and Masafi.

After arriving at the plant, the plastic bottles are separated out with PET bottles retained. Any bottles containing metal are discarded. The PET bottles are then crushed to produce PET flakes, which are then washed and cleaned and packed into bales, quality checked and then sent for export. To produce food grade rPET chips, the PET flakes are crushed again into pellets.

The firm exports rPET chips to clients in the US, Europe, the Far East and South Asia.

Horizon Technology ambitions

Horizon Technologies’ primary goal with its plant in Fujairah – the first of its kind in the region – is to take advantage of the opportunity to recycle plastic and contribute towards a more sustainable environment.

To support this, the firm is working to promote awareness of recycling among the UAE population, engaging in pilot projects and participating in educational campaigns at schools around the country.

Its pilot scheme with Al-Ain Mineral Water Company encourages students at 10 schools in Al-Ain to recycle plastic bottles.

Horizon Technologies has no plans for the time being to open another recycling plant, as its existing capacity in Fujairah is still under-utilised. Part of the reason for this has been the lack of an electricity supply from the Fujairah Electricity and Water Authority.

The company has to rely on generators for power, which has prevented the facility from running at full capacity. This has resulted in lower than expected returns from the investment.

Horizon Technologies already exports to the US, Europe, the Far East and South Asia, but hopes to expand into other markets within the GCC in the longer term.