Born in the capital of Lebanon at the height of the war, Ramzi el Houchaimi came to Angola on the invitation of a friend, and soon realised that this was the country in which he would live and invest. The first steps of IMEX were thus launched, an industrial facility, specialising in various products, such as water tanks, mattresses, paints and raffia sacks, that uses a Japanese method to increase the well-being of employees and productivity. After almost 20 years operating in the Angolan market, the company has extended its business to other sectors, where large investments have been made alongside the creation of more jobs.
It was a long road from Beirut to settling in Angola…
In fact, I was doing an MBA in London when a friend, who was also living in England, told me about Angola, because his family had businesses here. However, after my graduation, I went to Gabon, where an uncle worked in the plastics industry. I stayed there for two years and learned a lot. In 2002, I was 22, my friend invited me to come to Angola. During that year we did a market study to get to know the country’s needs, and we concluded that manufacturing water tanks would be a good bet. Right away, in 2003, the first IMEX factory for plastic tanks was created, under the Hipo brand.
You also started to manufacture mattresses. Was there a shortage?
Yes, we did a preliminary study and, in 2008, we decided to invest in a foam mattress factory in Luanda. We realised that there was a market and we expanded to Benguela and, in 2009, we started a factory for the same product in Huambo. In 2012, we made an investment to centralise the tank factory and the mattress factory in Viena, in the Luanda province; we bought new machinery and started manufacturing spring mattresses and PVC and polyethylene pipes.
«IN 2003 THE FIRST IMEX FACTORY FOR PLASTIC TANKS WAS CREATED»
Were there other businesses in the first two decades of this century?
In 2008, the IMEX Group entered into a joint venture with the Webcor Group, which belongs to the agro-industrial sector of food production and distribution. And in 2010, we acquired shares in Indústria Baluarte, which produces paints, and ended up making our brands – Decor, Ambience and Sopinta –, and also manufacturing plastic buckets and tins for paints that we sell them to other factories.
Years later you started manufacturing sacks for various purposes.
In 2018 the first production unit was opened for raffia sacks that are used for flour, onions and cement among many others. In 2019, we moved to the second phase and now, in 2021, we have completed the third, this one with an investment of ten million dollars. Our daily production capacity increased from 150,000 units to 250,000 and with this, 200 new jobs were created, 190 national and 10 expatriates.
How many workers do you have in the various sectors at this moment?
We have 450 workers, 410 nationals and 40 expatriates. It was us who gave the training, for each sector, to everyone. We have invested in the Japanese Kaizen method, because it leads to faster learning and productivity is much greater. In our factories everything is optimised and aligned, so that no time is wasted, and we use colour a lot, because when a person comes to work, if their work area is not organised, beautiful and clean, there is no motivation. The country needs to invest heavily in professional training. It makes no sense that we still have to send expatriates to set up a factory, which then makes the final product more expensive.
«ANGOLA NEEDS A STRONG PETROCHEMICAL INDUSTRY»
Are the raw materials you use imported?
Everything is imported from Asia and Europe. Angola needs a strong petrochemical industry. For ours and other sectors it would be very important, because the money spent in other countries would stay in the national market. Although this might not be reflected in the final prices – because many of the petrochemical products have a universal value – at least we would reduce the price of freight.
Returning to your products, you also sell household appliances.
We are a Group with many sectors and we also sell household appliances, from the Beko brand. We started importing in 2019 and the goal for March 2022 is to build the first assembly plant for some appliances and to also represent the South African Defy brand, which is top of the range. The amount invested in the factory to assemble cookers, air conditioning units and refrigerators, among others, is 2.5 million dollars, and in a second phase we will assemble a range of televisions. This factory will generate a total of 150 jobs. We also plan to open seven Beko shops throughout the country, in addition to the 15 that already exist.
Looking back, do you feel it was an easy path or not?
I’ve been in the Imex Group for 20 years, in the beginning it was difficult, we didn’t have electricity or water, setting up a company in Angola meant facing many obstacles and so was importing material. If you need foreign technicians, even to train nationals, there is still a lot of difficulty in obtaining visas, so often hiring them was not possible and caused great inconvenience. But, when I look back, I am happy and satisfied with how it all went; even if there were complications and challenges, everything has been improving since 2007/2008.
How do you see the future of the processing industry in Angola and what will be the positioning of IMEX?
The IMEX Group wants to keep the focus on and its leadership in the segment of the products it manufactures. In the case of raffia sacks, which for us is a new product, there is a very large market and, in this segment, we will also invest in the production of packaging. We are confident about the future of Angola, we believe that it will improve and become a great country again and we are here for whatever is needed.
Did you feel similarities between Lebanon and Angola?
Lebanon also went through a civil war, from 1975 to 1990, and many Lebanese left their country. There are about four million Lebanese living in Lebanon and 13 million living abroad, most of whom live in Brazil, about seven million. Integration in Angola was like in any other country. Those who arrive have to adapt and integrate into what exists, and it is also important to learn the language of the host country. To be successful in Angola, or any other country, a foreigner has to integrate, work correctly and with integrity, learn the culture and ways of living and admit when they are wrong or make mistakes.
It was a long road from Beirut to settling in Angola…
In fact, I was doing an MBA in London when a friend, who was also living in England, told me about Angola, because his family had businesses here. However, after my graduation, I went to Gabon, where an uncle worked in the plastics industry. I stayed there for two years and learned a lot. In 2002, I was 22, my friend invited me to come to Angola. During that year we did a market study to get to know the country’s needs, and we concluded that manufacturing water tanks would be a good bet. Right away, in 2003, the first IMEX factory for plastic tanks was created, under the Hipo brand.
You also started to manufacture mattresses. Was there a shortage?
Yes, we did a preliminary study and, in 2008, we decided to invest in a foam mattress factory in Luanda. We realised that there was a market and we expanded to Benguela and, in 2009, we started a factory for the same product in Huambo. In 2012, we made an investment to centralise the tank factory and the mattress factory in Viena, in the Luanda province; we bought new machinery and started manufacturing spring mattresses and PVC and polyethylene pipes.
«IN 2003 THE FIRST IMEX FACTORY FOR PLASTIC TANKS WAS CREATED»
Were there other businesses in the first two decades of this century?
In 2008, the IMEX Group entered into a joint venture with the Webcor Group, which belongs to the agro-industrial sector of food production and distribution. And in 2010, we acquired shares in Indústria Baluarte, which produces paints, and ended up making our brands – Decor, Ambience and Sopinta –, and also manufacturing plastic buckets and tins for paints that we sell them to other factories.
Years later you started manufacturing sacks for various purposes.
In 2018 the first production unit was opened for raffia sacks that are used for flour, onions and cement among many others. In 2019, we moved to the second phase and now, in 2021, we have completed the third, this one with an investment of ten million dollars. Our daily production capacity increased from 150,000 units to 250,000 and with this, 200 new jobs were created, 190 national and 10 expatriates.
How many workers do you have in the various sectors at this moment?
We have 450 workers, 410 nationals and 40 expatriates. It was us who gave the training, for each sector, to everyone. We have invested in the Japanese Kaizen method, because it leads to faster learning and productivity is much greater. In our factories everything is optimised and aligned, so that no time is wasted, and we use colour a lot, because when a person comes to work, if their work area is not organised, beautiful and clean, there is no motivation. The country needs to invest heavily in professional training. It makes no sense that we still have to send expatriates to set up a factory, which then makes the final product more expensive.
«ANGOLA NEEDS A STRONG PETROCHEMICAL INDUSTRY»
Are the raw materials you use imported?
Everything is imported from Asia and Europe. Angola needs a strong petrochemical industry. For ours and other sectors it would be very important, because the money spent in other countries would stay in the national market. Although this might not be reflected in the final prices – because many of the petrochemical products have a universal value – at least we would reduce the price of freight.
Returning to your products, you also sell household appliances.
We are a Group with many sectors and we also sell household appliances, from the Beko brand. We started importing in 2019 and the goal for March 2022 is to build the first assembly plant for some appliances and to also represent the South African Defy brand, which is top of the range. The amount invested in the factory to assemble cookers, air conditioning units and refrigerators, among others, is 2.5 million dollars, and in a second phase we will assemble a range of televisions. This factory will generate a total of 150 jobs. We also plan to open seven Beko shops throughout the country, in addition to the 15 that already exist.
Looking back, do you feel it was an easy path or not?
I’ve been in the Imex Group for 20 years, in the beginning it was difficult, we didn’t have electricity or water, setting up a company in Angola meant facing many obstacles and so was importing material. If you need foreign technicians, even to train nationals, there is still a lot of difficulty in obtaining visas, so often hiring them was not possible and caused great inconvenience. But, when I look back, I am happy and satisfied with how it all went; even if there were complications and challenges, everything has been improving since 2007/2008.
How do you see the future of the processing industry in Angola and what will be the positioning of IMEX?
The IMEX Group wants to keep the focus on and its leadership in the segment of the products it manufactures. In the case of raffia sacks, which for us is a new product, there is a very large market and, in this segment, we will also invest in the production of packaging. We are confident about the future of Angola, we believe that it will improve and become a great country again and we are here for whatever is needed.
Did you feel similarities between Lebanon and Angola?
Lebanon also went through a civil war, from 1975 to 1990, and many Lebanese left their country. There are about four million Lebanese living in Lebanon and 13 million living abroad, most of whom live in Brazil, about seven million. Integration in Angola was like in any other country. Those who arrive have to adapt and integrate into what exists, and it is also important to learn the language of the host country. To be successful in Angola, or any other country, a foreigner has to integrate, work correctly and with integrity, learn the culture and ways of living and admit when they are wrong or make mistakes.
