PETpla.net Insider 09 / 2015

ON SITE 47 PET planet insider Vol. 16 No. 09/15 www.petpla.net Carbonated soft drinks growth in Oman To meet the two-digit market growth from carbon- ated soft drink consumers, Oman Refreshment Com- pany (ORC), a franchisee of PepsiCo International, has acquired a new production line from Sidel, provider of PET solutions for liquid packaging. ORC operates in different categories of the food and beverage market in Oman. The carbonated soft drinks category is the company’s main focus, which includes Pepsi, Mountain Dew and 7UP, to name a few. ORC has an 89% market share of this category. According to industry estimates, carbonated soft drinks were the most consumed beverage items in Oman with 362.4mill. litres recorded at the end of 2014, and a projected Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 8.3% over the next five years. Since Febru- ary 2015, ORC has been operating a Sidel Matrix Combi12 line which produces carbonated soft drinks in a 2.25l format at a speed of 18,000bph. The complete line, the latest generation of Sidel Matrix equipment, is said to help the Omani company increase its bottling capacity through the Sidel Matrix system. Mr. Youssef Ezzikhe, General Man- ager of ORC comments: “With the growing local demand for our products and carbonated soft drinks in general, we approached Sidel again to obtain a production line which will enable us to increase production, and eventually to achieve a stronger competitive edge.” Challenging the conventions of PET container produc- tion, the modular Sidel Matrix platform includes tech- nological improvements to meet the needs of the liquid packaging industry. The line offers potential to reduce the consumption of raw materials and costs, particu- larly in terms of the amount of PET material required to produce the bottles. Despite the challenges presented by the carbonation process in terms of the bottle format, lightweighting has been applied to the 2.25 litre-bottles by Sidel’s Packaging Services team, part of the Sidel Service business unit. To produce the lightweighted bottles at high speed, an integrated blow-fill-cap solution - the Sidel Matrix Combi - was used. Because of the neck-handling and transfer of bottles between blow moulding and filling, the Sidel Matrix Combi is not bound by the limitations imposed by air conveyors. “In order for us to extend our equipment and services to a wider audience, we’ve established a solid presence in the region, and we are delighted to see the continuous success and growth that our customers are achieving. By providing innovative solutions, we are enabling bever- age producers to keep up with the growth in the industry in their local markets and also at the regional and global levels,” said Harbinder Kathuria, Regional Commercial Director, Greater Middle East and Africa Zone at Sidel. www.sidel.com