PETpla.net Insider 12 / 2018

BOTTLING / FILLING PET planet Insider Vol. 19 No. 12/18 www.petpla.net 31 Two new Sidel PET lines for Almarai Booming juice market in Saudi Arabia Almarai, the leading producer of liquid dairy and juice products in the Middle East, approached the Sidel Group to increase its production capacities around orange juice distributed via cold chain. With high speed and reliability of the line coupled with great product quality among the top requirements from this customer, the global provider of equipment and services for the liquid packaging industry was a qualified partner for the job. Since its founding in 1977, Almarai has grown via strategic investments, becoming the largest producer and distributor of food and drink in the Middle East with a market capitalisation exceed- ing $12,5bn. Almarai’s production, mar- keting, and distribution structure enables the daily distribution of products to over 110,000 retail outlets across the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, plus Egypt and Jordan. Bold consumer preference for juice drinks When Almarai recently reached out to Sidel, they needed to increase the pro- duction capacity around the single-serve format of its orange juice, 200ml, bottled in PET and handled under cold chain distribution. This opportunity was espe- cially driven by the consumer preference around it: part of a range offering twenty taste possibilities, as such perfectly reflecting the major trends impacting the beverage market in Saudi Arabia. There, the search for more healthy and natural formulations is expected to influence juice sales considerably. With the leading posi- tion in the juice market, Almarai decided to install two Sidel PET complete lines, each one handling 54,000bph, in the Al Kharj central processing plant (CPP). State-of-the-art packaging solutions For Almarai, quality is the found- ing principle, upholding the company’s commitment to achieving the highest standards on behalf of its consumers and hence its motto: ‘Quality you can trust’. With Sidel PET production for more than 35 years and leveraging a longstanding expertise as a complete line provider, they looked perfectly established to partner with Almarai in the quest for exceptional manufacturing and processing capabilities. The largest food manufacturer and distributor in the Middle East strives to operate to the highest standards of international best practice, starting from the processing step: the two new PET complete lines installed at the Al Kharj production site – the first ones Almarai awarded to Sidel – employ the processing equipment and capabilities of Tetra Pak Processing Sys- tems (TPPS). This represents a further testament of a successful cooperation, benefitting from experience and learn- ings gained in nearly 100 joint complete line projects from around the world. The TPPS process equipment captures the natural taste of the product and ensures it is safe to drink. Anurag Sharma, Sidel Sales Man- ager in Saudi Arabia, explains, “The key challenge was to find a solution able to ensure greater efficiency, so as to strengthen profitability and optimise Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). All of this without compromising top product quality, a must-have for Almarai con- sidering the great sales performance of its orange juice. To address this within the two complete lines, Almarai opted for the Sidel Combi. Integrating blow moulding, filling and capping processes into a single system, the Combi reduces operating costs and uses up to 30% less floor space compared to traditional standalone equipment. Using fewer component machines, the solution offers up to 4% higher efficiency levels than standalone machines, on top of lower energy consumption and faster format changeovers. This results in a reduction of operating costs by up to 12%, saving labour, raw materials, and spare parts.” The two Combis supplied to the Al Kharj site are equipped with a Sidel SF100 filler, ensuring optimum uptime and the highest productivity. Its ‘dual speed’ valve allows consistent per- formance and the best drink quality, especially when handling beverages with pulps. Additionally, both magnetic flow- meters and filling valves are equipped with plungers, leading to higher accuracy and more efficient filling and cleaning. In fact, the system allows for no clogging and an easier removal of pulp residual. For greater product safety and ease of operations, the tight enclosure with HEPA filter allows for top hygiene, while Cleaning In Place (CIP) requires no intervention from operators thanks to the automatic dummy bottles. Sidel’s proven and versatile Roll- Quattro Evo labeller complements the Combi. Primarily using wrap-around roll- fed technology to apply either paper or plastic labels with hot glue, it delivers all the flexibility needed to match Almarai’s needs when processing lightweighted containers and extremely thin labels at very high speed. End-of-line system for greater flexibility and pack quality Benefitting from Sidel Group’s exper- tise as a full solution partner, Almarai went for Gebo Cermex’s solutions to optimise its end-of-line performance. Two shrink-wrapping systems have been installed to manage three different pack configurations: 6x4, 2x3 and 2x3 bottles as clusters. For additional flexibility at a very high speed (67,500bph in over- speed), a shrink-wrapper is handling single squared bottles in mass flow, put- ting them in tray plus film, while the other one is managing both single bottles and cluster packs of bottles through special selection fingers with rollers identifying the clusters according to product group- ing or batch. To ensure a consistent and