For many years, a significant share of syrups and nutritional liquids sold in Algeria reached the market as imported finished products or were repacked locally from large bulk containers. As the market expands, logistics and tariff costs rise, and local content policies gain traction, more companies are asking a simple question: Can we complete filling and packaging locally, and keep more value in the country?

Once a company decides to move from trader to manufacturer, the first big decision is the filling line. Syrup-type products in North African markets have several specific characteristics:

• A wide range of sizes, from small pediatric bottles to large family-size packages;

• Many different formulas, including medicinal syrups, vitamin supplements and herbal extracts, with very different viscosities and foaming behavior;

• Highly dynamic demand, with relatively modest volume per SKU, but frequent product changeovers.

Buying a separate small line for each bottle size is rarely realistic. The investment burden would be heavy, and plant management would become more complex. As a result, many companies now focus their research on “universal filling platforms” that cover 100–1500 ml and support multiple formulas on the same line:

• On the mechanical side, one line can handle different bottle diameters and heights using format parts, accommodating both glass and plastic bottles;

• On the process side, the filling system allows different parameter sets for products with different viscosities and foaming tendencies, without major hardware changes;

• On the operations side, recipe functions enable plants to store complete process packages—filling volume, speed, cap type and label position—for each product, reducing dependence on operator experience.

For new facilities in Algeria and neighboring countries, a proven 100–1500 ml filling platform often means they can start with a few core SKUs and gradually add more as demand evolves, without worrying that their equipment will become obsolete.

Analysts believe that as local filling capabilities grow, the North African market will see more syrups and nutraceuticals sold under local brands with multilingual labels, and domestic companies will gain more leverage when competing with multinational players.