UEA – Leading provider of equipment, services and complete solutions for packaging liquids company, Sidel has installed what it says is the “fastest single line” PET bottling for Mai Dubai.
Mai Dubai was founded in 2012 and is one of the leading bottled water companies in the UAE.
The Super Combi installation follows Mai Dubai’s recent acquisition of Sidel’s expertise to construct a new complete packaging line. The line fills 86,000 bottles per hour in three different formats (200 ml, 330 ml and 500 ml).
“Our key considerations were the optimal use of space, high consistent quality and efficiency with flexibility. Sidel’s digital capability was very attractive, too, with its Efficiency Improvement Tool (EIT) enabling us to track the performance of every part of the line,” explains Mai Dubai CEO Alexander van ’t Riet.
“Sidel also added extra value by using its design expertise to help us strengthen our 500 ml bottle without compromising its iconic design. Finally, Mai Dubai is a leader in sustainability and Sidel’s solution supports our low energy requirements.”
The complete high-performance line provided by Sidel delivers “optimum” water quality. It also includes the all-in-one Super Combi solution for blowing, labeling and filling, with the ground level preform infeed system, EasyFeed, and the top ergonomic cap feeder, Gebo OptiFeed.
Continuing down the line, Sidel’s seamless shrink-wrapper EvoFilm meets Mai Dubai’s key requirements for maximizing efficiency by minimizing downtime.
It also manages nested packs – where bottles are offset so they can be closely packed – and gives stability while reducing the pack’s footprint, bringing cost savings in logistics.
Additional features of the new line include the high-speed, high-level pack infeed, PalLinear palletizer.
It features a fully robotic layer preparation, RoboSmart, offering flexibility, saving time, and making it easier to operate.
In addition, Mai Dubai was so impressed with Sidel’s Efficiency Improvement Tool (EIT®), the all-in-one line performance software, that it has now installed it on its other packaging lines.
The new features are expected to help Mai Dubai cater to a booming beverage market in the UAE.
Water makes up nearly one-third of soft drinks sales in the UAE, and sales are forecast to grow by 436 million liters, more than any other category, by 2026.
In addition, Sidel notes that buying habits in the UAE are changing, with consumers becoming more concerned about shopping responsibly.
They are demanding climate-friendly packaging and larger pack sizes in response to spending more time at home with family during the pandemic.
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