Meeting the bottling needs of a Dubai water company

With bottled water being one of the most popular beverages in the United Arab Emirates, Mai Dubai wanted to increase its market share in the region and turned to Sidel to upgrade its equipment. A new packaging line was installed that is able to fill 86,000 bottles per hour in three different formats (200, 330 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 enabling us to track the performance of every part of the line,” said Mai Dubai CEO Alexander van ’t Riet.

“Sidel also added extra value by using its design expertise to help us to strengthen our 500 mL bottle without compromising its iconic design. Finally, Mai Dubai is a leader in sustainability and Sidel’s solution supported our low energy requirements.”

The line includes an all-in-one Super Combi solution for blowing, labelling and filling. It has a ground-level preform infeed system, EasyFEED, and an ergonomic cap feeder, Gebo OptiFeed, which detects caps’ quality and colour.

UV lamps are designed to ensure clean and hygienic conditions, as do a dedusting system integrated into the blower and a deionising system in the cap chute. There are also three labelling stations with auto-splicing systems. The filler has particulate-absorbing filters that feature a reduced enclosure kept in overpressure with high-efficiency particulate-absorbing (HEPA) filters. This results in a protected environment around the filling valves, and an easier-to-clean area using fewer sterilising agents and less time.

The line also features an EvoFilm shrink-wrapping component and a PalLinear palletiser.

“We were very impressed with Sidel’s adaptability and understanding of our requirements,” said Mai Dubai’s Mohamad Usman.

“They delivered a line that was faster than our original specification. Sidel also met our additional request for bottle strength improvement. Within 15 days they had done a failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) and come up with a solution. With Emirates Airlines as a flagship client, premium, distinctive and reliable packaging is important to Mai Dubai.”