Sidel expanded into East Africa in 1991 and recently set up a service centre and training programme for engineers in Nairobi.
Harris will be using the machinery to bottle CSD’s, juices and water under the Riham brand.
Andrews Ruben, CEO, Harris, said the proximity of the service centre was vital for local beverage producers and, with spare parts in Nairobi, it contributed to Sidel’s speed of response.
He added its existing relationship with Sidel following the previous installation of a PET line for still water secured the deal.
Capacity of 16,000bph
“Before the new line was installed at our production facility in Kampala, Uganda, Harris had been bottling only still water on its existing Sidel PET line,” said Ruben.
“We wanted to meet the increase in local demand, support local agricultural producers, and gain a manufacturing advantage over our competitors.”
The machinery has a capacity of 16,000bph rather than its original 8,000bph.
According to Sidel, Africa is forecast to become the world’s second-fastest growing market for liquid dairy products, with demand increasing by 3.5% each year over the next two years, to approximately 17.3 billion litres.