EDITOUR PETplanet Insider Vol. 26 No. 05/25 www.petpla.net 14 Malavilla with sophisticated water treatment Not all water is the same by Alexander Büchler At Malavilla Water in Doha, Plant Manager Ahmad Al Natour, a former PepsiCo executive, runs an impressively hygienic and efficient facility where every detail, from custom-coloured machinery housings to precise water treatment, reflects his passion for quality and control. Interview with Malavilla Water // September 19, 2024 We met: Eng. Ahmad Al Natour, Plant Manager We meet the Plant Manager Ahmad Al Natour. He used to work for PepsiCo. Today, he manages the production of Malavilla Water in Doha. The outstanding tidiness and high standard of hygiene are immediately noticeable during operation. For example, he enclosed the dispensing area around the octabins for his Krauss-Maffei preform system from 2017. As a perfectionist, he painted the housing in the colour of the machine. At least as careful is his water treatment from Grewa. The system achieves 40m³/h. The municipal water first passes through various filters, such as sand and carbon filters. He adds his own mineral formula to the demineralised water, supplements it with O3 for hygiene and fills it 27,000 times an hour into 225ml, 350ml, 500ml or 1.5 L bottles on a Krones line. 48 filling valves and 12 capping stations do the work. Several inspectors ensure that only flawless bottles go into the drying section. The efficiency in pure filling mode is 93%. The Krauss-Maffei system is even higher with its MHT 48-cavity mould. With the Krauss-Maffei system, he achieves an average efficiency of 97%. Although he uses scavengers, he stores the preforms for 24 hours at controlled ambient temperatures to minimise the acetaldehyde content. 80% of its bottling goes to its own brand, 20% of its production to private labels. He would like to have the systems running around the clock, but the overcrowded market in Qatar does not allow it. Ahmad does not see generating additional volumes through exports as a solution, as the costs would be so high that it would be a loss maker at best. Its bottle weights are 8.5 g for the 225ml. He has now reduced this to 7.8 g, as well as the weight of the 350ml from 11 g to 9.2 g. The compressed air is supplied by a threestage AF compressor. It works oil-free, just like the compressor for the working pressure of 10 bar. For Ahmad, oil-free compressed air is essential in beverage production, even at low pressures. And the outlook? The mother company Gulf Center Holding Company, which strives for the quality and innovation of its factories, looks forward to starting operations in Syria, as soon as sanctions are lifted. www.mvqatar.com EDITOUR Ahmad Al Natour in front of the labelling station at the Krones system The in-house enclosure for the octabins at the preform output blends seamlessly into the machine design of the Krauss-Maffei system. Water preparation is the core area for Ahmad. This is where the flavoursome water for Malavilla is created.
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