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A growing hub for pans and trays American Pan’s facility in Alexandria, Romania, is the company’s main European operation head-
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In Europe, American Pan works with a staff of 520, out of which close to 400 people are employed at the factory in Alexandria alone, with plans to increase their ranks by an additional 50 before the end of the year. The Group’s sixth pan manufacturing center, in addition to its three facilities in the U.S., one in Brazil, one in Sweden, has ambitious plans, all on-trend with the dynamics in its surrounding markets. The industrial pans made in Romania are mainly specialized for the production of buns and rolls, the company’s core segment in Europe, and breads – which has been a growing market over the past few years. Baguette trays are being added to the product portfolio at the facility in Alexandria. Bakeware has been the growth driver for American Pan’s facility in Romania, which was first established by the acquisition of FBS Prestige just outside Bucharest. Together with it, came its promising market share, valuable know-how, ideas and people. The facility managed to triple its market share in Europe in its first year alone and it is looking at a multiple of that for the following years, anticipates Thanos Rizoglou, American Pan’s Vice President of Operations for Romania. Operations maintained a steady level throughout various restrictions caused by the pandemic, with some segments even enjoying growth, such as the DuraShield coating, which is a non-stick fluoropolymer coating that helps bread and rolls easily release from pans, including
www.bakingbiscuit.com 06/2021
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quarters for bakeware, with investments worth EUR 10 million planned over the next five years.
gluten-free products. The coating’s productivity and longevity proved to be convincing arguments everywhere in Europe. Moreover, the plant even made significant strides into mainland Europe’s highly competitive markets. As its own operations expand, American Pan Europe observes, in parallel, the growth trend among the region’s bakeries and their increasing needs for bakeware: while they might be
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