Sidel took part in Juice Africa 2014 in Cape Town, South Africa, on 8-10 April.
As a global provider of liquid packaging solutions, Sidel said its participation reflected a commitment to the continent’s market, where it sees great opportunity.
Terence Hobson, managing director, Sidel Packaging Systems, South Africa, said: “With a population of over 1 billion, Africa represents a huge opportunity for Sidel to enhance and expand its presence in one of the fastest growing markets for our business globally.
“Africa is one of the best places in the world for us to present our innovative solutions which address evolving market needs.”
At the conference, Hobson spoke on how African consumers can benefit from innovative packaging solutions for juices.
Africa is witnessing an emergence of ‘middle-class‘ consumers, with greater expendable income, heightening the demand for more sophisticated products. As a result, many well-known brands are becoming more readily available throughout the continent.
“Africa is presently growing at much faster economic rates than many of the well-established developed countries, offering potential for significant growth in the liquid packaging market. We recognise these trends and aim to engage our experience, global expertise and strong market position, to enable active knowledge transfer and introduce the most innovative solutions for the various stakeholders connected with this line of business,” he added.
Africa is one of the largest growing zones in the world for Sidel’s business.
According to Euromonitor statistics, 64 billion units were sold last year in the greater Middle East and Africa, of which 19 billion (around 30%) were in PET material.
In recognition of the region’s growing significance, Sidel recently established its Greater Middle East and Africa (GMEA) Zone.
The GMEA Zone’s headquarters in Dubai is home to more than 90 employees including sales, customer service managers, project managers, layout designers, fields assistants, planners, co-ordination and site managers.
Sidel has production sites in 13 countries and 30,000 machines installed in more than 190 countries across the world. With more than 5,500 employees worldwide, the company provides optimal PET packaging solutions for water, soft drinks, milk, sensitive products (juices and nectars), edible oils and alcoholic beverages including beer.