According to Global Data[1], bottled oil accounts for the majority of the market with six billion units and edible oil will reach a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.4% by 2024 within the food category in the Middle East, Africa and India region. Price is a key driver that influences consumers’ purchase decisions in edible oil across the African continent. Value for money is, therefore, key and impacts the choice of oil. [2] In Africa, domestic players dominate the market due to their proximity to the market. Hence, their ability to rapidly fulfil consumer demand for competitive prices and availability plays a crucial role.
Despite the outbreak of the pandemic, the edible oil market continues to grow, since it is essential for cooking. For producers, cost and productivity is therefore key to being competitive. Sidel’s holistic approach to the edible oil-bottling environment has already supported customers in Africa to accomplish their goals.
Sustainable solutions and customised packaging design
To make a product that will stand out on the shelves, but simultaneously be lightweight, Sidel’s packaging experts are able to provide customised bottle design. With modern bottle design techniques from bottle digital mock-ups, technical designs to prototypes with 3D printed models, the bottle design can match customers’ preferences and be presented in real size before mass production. When it comes to production, either with a complete line or standalone equipment, Sidel provides a full range of solutions, from blowing and labelling to end of line equipment with shrink-wrappers, case packers and palletisers.
Sidel recently supported Willowton, one of Africa’s leading edible oil producers with redesigning the bottle and installing two standalone blowers – EvoBLOW SBO 10 and SBO 16. The new elegant, cylindrical Sunfoil silhouette bottle not only had an elevated aesthetic level, but also increased practicality due to its easy-to-handle belt-inspired design and reduced diameter. The company also benefited from its two blowers, ensuring higher performance and production integrity. “With the Sidel blowers, we already increased our yearly production volume by 50% and we are ready to handle any future additional demand as well,” says Faisal Modi, Operations Manager at Willowton.
Ensuring high productivity and cost-saving with the Combi line
Sidel has a strong heritage in edible oil, acting as a one-stop-shop partner in proposing complete and integrated PET lines including a combi configuration, which can help minimise equipment and conveying footprint by up to 30%. AGRIMED chose Sidel’s complete edible oil line solution to sustain its leading market position in Tunisia and other export regions such as Libya and the Middle East. The company already owned a Sidel blower and labeller for various bottle sizes. As a result of great performance from their existing Sidel equipment, AGRIMED invested in a new complete line including the new Blowing/Filling/Capping combi with Serac net weight filling technology dedicated for its 1L bottle line, running at 18,000 bottles per hour (bph). The highspeed complete line has enhanced its productivity by reducing the previous long changeover time. “Sidel’s complete line helped us save a lot of cost with bottle lightweighting options. The bottle robustness has also been optimised, as these bottles will be in wrap around cases. We believe that this investment can elevate our strength in both the local and export markets,” says Mohamed Laamouri, Plant Manager at AGRIMED.
Reputation as a leading player in the edible oil category with many regional references
Today, edible oil is a very competitive market category, essentially driven by product and brand differentiation as well as competitiveness through packaging cost savings, production efficiency and permanent asset optimisation. As a trusted partner, Sidel has generated many success cases with edible oil players in the Middle East and Africa, both in the low and high speed market. Sidel addresses the low speed market through Synergy, its linear blow moulding provider.
“Many edible oil producers in Africa have already installed Sidel lines; therefore, it was an easy decision for us to take, following the positive feedback we heard from the market. During the COVID-19 crisis, Sidel was one of the few suppliers that were supportive with proactive communication throughout the pandemic. As a result, we have established a fruitful partnership with Sidel,” comments Hayssam El Jammal, Owner at Novia Industries.
[1] Global Data (2021)
[2] Euromonitor (2019)
