Hoogstraten, Belgium, 27 June 2022 – deSter is proud to announce a significant investment in new production technologies, further expanding its production capabilities.
As part of the ongoing investment program in our manufacturing capabilities worldwide, and in line with the company’s ESG initiative, deSter’s site in Prachinburi will see a multimillion-dollar investment in production equipment for wet molded fiber products. The facility expansion is under construction and machine commissioning is work in progress and will be fully operational as from December 2022.
Wet molded fiber products play a crucial role in enabling the reduction of single use plastics in the on-board and foodservice markets and have become an integral part of the deSter product portfolio.
deSter is also an early adopter of the dry molded fiber production technology, originally developed by Pulpac. These capabilities are operational in its production site in Hoogstraten, Belgium. Dry molded fiber production does not consume any water and has a very low carbon footprint. All fiber products are and will be developed to be elemental chlorine free, home compostable and recyclable. In addition, the facility in Prachinburi will operate on a zero-emission basis for chemical and waste water and based on highly automated and BRC-certified processes.
After previous investments in Belgium and the US, deSter will have state of the art production capabilities in three regions, supporting customers’ needs for flexibility and regional production.
Stef Van de Perre, President & Managing Director deSter: “This investment is another milestone in preparing deSter for the future. In close alignment with our customers and backed by our shareholders, we are continuously improving our production capabilities to better serve our customers, our employees and the planet. It also supports us in achieving our ESG targets of reducing our carbon footprint in operations by 25% and making all of our products either reusable, recyclable or compostable, both by 2025.”
More information on deSter’s ESG initiative can be found here and on our LinkedIn profile here.
The same model is not only applied to amenity kits. At deSter we also recycle pyjamas. If unused, they are sent to our facilities and then back on the plane. If already worn, they are washed and donated to local charities or retirement homes.
deSter can launch “Rekit” anywhere in the world with a local presence helping airlines tackle the issues and improve their operations.
Get in touch with us to learn more at info@dester.com
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About gategroup
gategroup is the global leader in airline catering, retail-on-board and hospitality products and services. gategroup provides passengers with superior culinary and retail experiences, leveraging innovation and advanced technology solutions. Headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, gategroup delivers operational excellence through the most extensive catering network in the aviation industry, serving more than 700 million passengers annually from over 200 operating units in over 60 countries/territories across all continents. In 2019, gategroup reached CHF 4.9 billion in revenues generated by approximately 43,000 employees worldwide. For further information, please visit www.gategroup.com