A new Sidel bottling line at Lagos in Nigeria is poised to start commercial production in early July this year.
The new bottling line will boost production of carbonated cola at the plant, which is responsible for the production of all formats of the Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Light, Fanta, Sprite, Schweppes, Cappy, Five Alive and Eva brands.
Installation is scheduled to start in May 2014 for producing PET bottles in 500ml format at a capacity of 42,000 bottles per hour, and in 1,500ml format at a capacity of 22,000 bottles per hour.
“The quality and safety of our beverages are our highest priority, which is why packaging is so vital,” said Costin Barbu, engineering director at Coca-Cola HBC.
“At the same time as protecting the liquid, we want our bottles to stay attractive across the supply chain and on the supermarket shelf, and offer a good consumer experience thereafter. We therefore work with partners like Sidel to drive innovation and identify new ways to improve packaging that creates value for us and our consumers.”
Coca-Cola HBC operates in Nigeria through its affiliate, the Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC), one of the biggest companies in the non-alcoholic drinks industry and the sole franchise bottler for the Coca-Cola Company in the country.
NBC operates 13 plants throughout Nigeria, serving as many as 160 million people. Its plant in Ikeja, a suburb of Lagos, has been running since 1978.
“Coca-Cola has been present in Nigeria for years, over which it built strong distribution network and developed aggressive marketing techniques which positioned the company to lead shares in carbonated and bottled water,” said Olivier Fraisse, Regional Commercial Director in Africa, Sidel.
“Rising disposable income and population growth will continue to underpin the positive development of the entire market, while new launches, marketing activities and improvements in distribution will bolster demand in individual categories. Nigeria is one of our biggest markets in the Greater Middle East and Africa Zone, and we are very delighted to be selected as a solution supplier for this strategic project in Ikeja plant.”
The outlook for the soft drinks market is very encouraging in Nigeria, and looks set to continue to grow, with all major categories showing the potential for robust growth in both total volume and current value sales.