Stainless Steel opens new factory and showroom

Stainless steel Products Ltd on Thursday inaugurated a new factory next door to its existing factory at the Marsa Industrial Estate.

The company, which manufactures stainless steel kitchen sinks, and which forms part of the British company Astracast, also announced the opening of a showroom where its products and those of the Astracast group will be on display. This international showroom would thus serve to attract to Malta prospective foreign buyers who wish to do business with Astracast.

Astracast and Stainless Steel Products Ltd in turn are subsidiaries of the American group Jacuzzi Brands, Inc.

Dr Austin Gatt, Minister of Investments, Industry and IT on Thursday visited the factory where he was welcomed by the exectuive director, George Wells, and shown around the plant by directors of the group. He later officially opened the new factory and the showroom.

Astracast clients from various countries were present, as were David H. Clarke, chairman, and Donald C. Devine, CEO of Jacuzzi Brands Inc, the managing director of Astracast, Mark Prince, and other directors.

Astracast said that last year it registered significant growth in its stainless steel business in the British, US, European and Far Eastern markets. This led to a substantial investment in the Malta plant with new technology which will lead to a rise of more than 50 per cent in its efficiency and productive capacity. Last year Stainless Steel produced about half a million kitchen sinks.

Jacuzzi chairman David Clarke in his address thanked Minister Gatt for the help the company received from the government to realise the project.