Dual cavity, double the speed. And guaranteed competitiveness thanks to the production of sizes such as 330 and 600 ml (which account for no less than 90% of sales on the Saudi bottled water market). This, then, is the core advantage of Sacmi SBF (stretch blow forming) technology, one that Memco (Middle East Factory for Machine Company, a firm that leads the way on Saudi Arabia’s water&juices market), just had to have. The company, in fact, has now chosen this technology as part of a key investment decision for its subsidiary Zulal.
The exclusive area distributor of Sacmi’s water bottling systems, Memco asked Sacmi to provide two complete natural mineral water bottling lines to boost output capacity at the two currently operational Zulal plants, the most recent of which is dedicated to smaller-size bottles (330 and 600 ml). With output capacities of 95,200 bottles per hour in the 330 ml size and 60,000 bottles per hour in the 600 ml size respectively, the two lines are designed to provide the customer with maximum efficiency at every stage of the production process.
At the heart of the line is the SBF 614 HERO rotary stretch-blower, designed to operate – depending on bottle size – with a single or dual cavity (i.e. where bottles have a diameter of less than 70 mm). Cutting-edge technical solutions have ensured containment of air and energy consumption and an increase in stretch-blowing speed. It’s characteristics like these, together with efficient small-medium size management, that make SBF the ideal response to Zulal’s growth and development needs in the bottled water sector.
Another key part of the order is the AWS filling monobloc, Sacmi’s tried-and-tested PET container filling solution. The AWS combines maximum filling precision with contactless filling (the filling valve never touches the container, thus preventing any contamination) and also features an advanced container handling system to ensure easy, efficient movement of any format type.
Downstream from the bottling line is Sacmi’s OPERA labeller, equipped with a roll-fed labelling module. Moreover, end-of-line solutions are also provided: the order for Zulal, in fact, comes complete with a case packer and latest-generation palletizer robot designed by Sacmi Packaging.