In the early 70s , Tetra Pak started its major installation in Jeddah , Saudi Arabia . Today , the converting factory delivers around 10bn packaging products to food and beverage companies a year .

Overseeing the business is Niels Hougaard , Managing Director of Tetra Pak Arabia Area and Cluster Leader , Sales Management Greater Middle East and Africa ( GME & A ), Having worked in the company 22 years , in roles from Product Manager to Sales Director and beyond , Hougaard is well-placed to take the helm at Jeddah , where key business drivers are end-to-end customer service and innovation . “ Tetra Pak has built its business model around three different services : providing packaging materials , providing packaging and processing equipment , and providing technical services to support those ,” says Hougaard . “ These are the three pillars of our business , and we are building the food industry in this region by providing this service .

“ In Tetra Pak Arabia , we focus on driving innovation together with our customers ; we are the first in the world at many things we do , bringing new ideas and solutions to our customers to support their growth as well as investments to our factories .

Tetra Pak ’ s large footprint in Saudi Arabia ensures that its impact on the industry is heavy-hitting , and that it is ahead even of many of

162 December 2017