MenaBev, the leading bottling operator in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, teamed up with Sidel, a renowned solution provider for food packaging, to convert two Combi PET lines in just one week at their Mega Plant. The outcome was an efficient, sustainable transition that improved the line’s performance and created a new lightweight design for the Aquafina brand.
The Mega Plant is one of the largest PepsiCo bottling plants globally, covering 300,000 square metres – a facility that serves millions of consumers in the region, supported by a local distribution centre. With over 40 years of experience in customised complete PET line solutions, Sidel helped MenaBev meet its product release dates on time.
Sidel’s expertise in packaging design was utilised by MenaBev for the Carolina bottle, and Sidel was also called upon to create new formats of the Carolina bottle in response to increased sugar taxes impacting the Saudi market. Despite market-wide component shortages, both line conversion projects resulted in an optimised workflow and fast delivery of required parts for the two Combi PET lines, which were successfully adapted in just one week.
The Aquafina line now produces up to 60,000 bottles per hour thanks to Sidel’s engineers, compared to the previous rate of 54,000 bph. The Carolina line continues to maintain its optimised speed of 48,000 bph. Sidel’s technical development of the new design for the new format of the 330 ml, 500 ml, and 1.5L Aquafina bottles aimed to reduce raw materials while maintaining a high-performance level.
“Our ability to adapt and convert existing Sidel lines enables customers like MenaBev to rapidly respond to global changes and market needs,” said Karim Abdel Wahed, Service Manager at Sidel. “The Aquafina bottle has always been iconic in its design. Sidel is proud to have utilized its expertise in packaging design to support the technicalities of creating a new bottle for this recognisable brand. It has not only maintained high performance, but it also provides the same enjoyable experience for consumers and helps MenaBev strengthen its commitment to sustainability.”
In conclusion, the partnership between MenaBev and Sidel is a successful example of two industry leaders overcoming challenges to deliver sustainable, high-performance food packaging solutions that meet the changing needs of their market.