Oman Refreshment Co. invests in production line to meet soft drink demand

Oman Refreshment Co. (ORC), a franchisee of PepsiCo International, recently acquired new production line equipment from Sidel that will enable the Omani bottler to increase production capacity to meet growing market demand.

Oman’s market growth for carbonated soft drinks has been in the double digits in recent years, which prompted ORC to begin operating a Sidel Combi12 line in February. The production line produces carbonated soft drinks in a 2.25-liter format at a speed of 18,000 bottles an hour.

The new line is intended to help ORC achieve better efficiency and reduce the consumption of raw materials and costs.

"With the growing local demand on our products and carbonated soft drinks in general, we approached Sidel again to obtain a production line which will enable us to increase production, and eventually achieve a stronger competitive edge," ORC’s General Manager Youssef Ezzikhe said.

Oman Refreshment Co. makes products for various segments of the food and beverage market in Oman. Carbonated soft drinks are the main business, which includes Pepsi and that company’s other well-known brands.

Carbonated soft drinks were the most consumed beverage items in Oman last year, with more than 360 million liters recorded at the end of 2014. The market is showing an expected compound annual growth rate of 8.3 percent over the next five years.