Innovating while exciting: mission accomplished by the Sidel Group at Djazagro

Sidel and Gebo Cermex showcased their latest advances in packaging equipment and services during the 16th edition of Djazagro, one of the Maghreb region's leading interna-tional tradeshows for the food and beverage industry, which took place in Algiers from 9th to 12th April.

With a focus on the local, very dynamic water market and on the growing interest shown by Maghrebi manufacturers around aseptic technologies to package sensitive drinks in PET, the Sidel Group introduced its capabilities as a full solution partner. Delivering packaging equipment and services for the beverage, food, home and personal care markets across PET, can, glass and other materials, Sidel and Gebo Cermex are able to help from the initial conceptualisation to packaging and design to fast production and ramp-up. More than 5,000 employees worldwide are passionate about providing complete solutions that fulfil customer needs and boost the performance of their lines, products and businesses. This is made possible by understanding the needs of these customers’ markets, production, value chains, and above all the challenges they face.

Bassam Oussaifi, Sales Director Africa for Sidel, comments, “Beverage and food producers need to stay competitive in an evolving and demanding market, with easy-to-use, smart, flexible and customised solutions. At Djazagro 2018, we have been showing how this understanding of our customers’ needs and the trends in the liquid packaging industry enables us to deliver greater performance for bottling lines.”

Jean-Philippe Henriet, Zone Sales Director Middle East and Africa, Gebo Cermex, adds “Looking at both Sidel and Gebo Cermex solutions, we can count on a large installed base in Algeria. Our global footprint and expertise, backed up by local customer proximity, is the recipe behind the market-tailored innovations on display on our stand. Our equipment is designed to achieve performance overtime, with no compromises on minimised total costs of ownership (TCO), high product quality and enhanced versatility. Not less important, our set-up is also helping us provide a highly reliable and responsive customer service and support to our customers in Maghreb.”

As a leading player in the industry, at Djazagro 2018, the Group has shown

• how PET packaging solutions can play a critical role in any brand experience: Sidel scientists and in-house packaging designers work on more than 250,000 new bottle concepts every year. At 5 packaging centres and 4 in-house R&D laboratories around the world, they help producers to qualify and industrialise specific packaging solutions that satisfy consumer needs and help to differentiate products on the shelf. They take care of the safety and quality of customers’ beverages, as well as of the products’ best performance throughout the supply chain, while enhancing their value proposition to consumers.
• how bottled water manufacturers, co-packers and brand owners can improve every aspect of production by partnering with a full solution partner, from lightweighting through performance to hygiene, always keeping the total cost of ownership (TCO) as low as possible.
• how simplicity is key to ensure food safety on a line, because a production process with few critical factors is managed more easily and effectively: As a further testament of this rule, Sidel has recently received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for its aseptic Combi Predis™ FMa blow fill seal filler following test runs at a dairy customer in North America. This regulatory acceptance means that the Sidel aseptic blow fill seal solution is the world’s first aseptic PET filling equipment with dry preform sterilisation validated for low acid manufacturing and commercial distribution in the United States market.
• how the 360° approach applied by Gebo Cermex to wrap-around mechanization is the right direction to go. Gentle primary packaging handling, extended secondary packaging knowledge and large mechanization expertise allow the company to play a leading role in this field, as shown by the key-selling, top-performing WB46 – the latest addition to the wrap-around case packer portfolio.