Oman Refreshment Company sets up new production line

08/04/2015 07:17 AST

To meet the two-digit market growth from the carbonated soft drinks consumers, Oman Refreshment Company (ORC), a franchisee of PepsiCo International, has recently acquired a new production line from Sidel, the leading global provider of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) solutions for liquid packaging, which will enable the Omani bottler to increase their production capacity sufficiently.

Since February 2015, ORC has been operating a Sidel Combi12 line which produces carbonated soft drinks in a 2.25 litre format at a speed of 18,000 bottles per hour. The new line will help the Omani company achieve efficiency and lightweighting, as well as reduce consumption of raw materials and costs.

"Our collaboration with Sidel started around 16 years ago. Since then, we have built a strong relationship based on mutual trust, reliability and efficiency," said Youssef Ezzikhe, General Manager of Oman Refreshment Company. "With the growing local demand on 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 achieve a stronger competitive edge."

Oman Refreshment Company operates in different categories of the food and beverage market in Oman. Carbonated soft drinks category is their main forte, which includes Pepsi, Mountain Dew, 7UP, and other world famous PepsiCo products. In that category, they have an 89 per cent market share.

"One of the driving factors in our decision to choose Sidel again was the efficiency with which their machines operate and prompt response on after sales service. By using their machines, we will be able to increase production, cut cost and potentially reduce raw material consumption," said Rosel Ocampo, Head of Operations at Oman Refreshment Company.

According to industry estimates, Carbonated Soft Drinks was the most consumed beverage item in Oman with 362.4 million litres recorded at the end of 2014, and a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 8.3 per cent over the next five years.

"In order for us to extend our services and solutions 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 them to keep up with the growth in the beverage industry not only in their local markets, but also at the regional and global levels," said Clive Smith, Vice-President, Greater Middle East and Africa Zone at Sidel.

Times of Oman