MACO Group

Assistance to enterprises / Articles / 04-08-2022

Mesjed Aïssa Confection Group (MACO Group) is a textile group composed of four companies in the small village of Mesjed Aïssa, Monastir. The group was founded in 1990 by entrepreneur Abderrahmen Chtourou, a trained engineer with extensive experience in the textile industry. 

 

MACO 1

Chtourou began his textile career with SOGETEX, a major industry player based in Kairouan.  After four years with the firm, he launched Mesjed Aïssa Confection (MACO) with associates in Belgium, manufacturing women’s clothing. The company steadily grew for 15 years, establishing itself as a go-to manufacturer in Tunisia, and in 2005, began to also produce workwear items as well. 

MACO 2

Over the next decade, Chtourou continued to evolve and innovate to stay ahead of the curve. In 2010, he joined forces with a Dutch associate to create Skylla, which specializes in paramedical and orthopaedic gear. In 2012, he opened a new company, Secure, a manufacturer of vehicle safety appliances that supplies firms such as Mercedes Benz, Volkswagen, DAF, and Toyota. The following year, Chtourou launched Packed Plastics, which conducts a specialized plastic manufacturing process called thermoforming to create orthopaedic products. He consolidated all these companies under MACO Group.

MACO 3

As his businesses grew, Chtourou needed to improve their production processes. In 2017, USAID, through its Business Reform and Competitiveness project (BRCP) program, helped MACO implement a Method Time Measurement (MTM) tool to optimize its production cycles.

MACO 4

In 2019, USAID Tunisia JOBS provided further support to MACO Group to help it capitalize on new growth opportunities. JOBS helped MACO Group implement a lean management system, enabling it to move from subcontracting semi-finished products to finished products with higher value.

JOBS’ assistance has proven valuable to all MACO Group companies, helping them better control and monitor their entire production chain as they create more refined products. With JOBS’ support, the group has increased its sales, created 130 jobs, and attracted new American and Dutch customers.

MACO 5

 

"MACO's journey began with 10 employees in a small 200 square meter space. Today, the group has more than 500 employees, facilities that cover more than 9,000 square meters, and products sold in 58 countries.”  

Abderrahmen Chtourou

General Manager – MACO Group

 

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