"A bottle of this size has never been made before. The bottle was created to make a long-term impactful statement. We wanted to leave a lasting impression and believe that the bottle will become a unique feature at the stadium," said Hilton Cairns, the Willowton Group's national marketing manager.
The lasting impression that has been made on cricket by the Willowton Group, a family-owned business that manufactures Sunfoil Triple Refined Pure Sunflower cooking oil as well as other high-quality brands such as Sunshine D, D'lite and Nuvolite, extends from grassroots-level to their sponsorship of the Sunfoil Dolphins franchise and Test Series with the Proteas.
He added that support from the KwaZulu-Natal Cricket Union for the Sunfoil bottle project stemmed from the fact that the union and Willowton shared a vision of making the Sunfoil Dolphins the most recognisable cricket brand in the country with its fan base, one that could even rival top sports brands like the Sharks, Bulls, and Kaizer Chiefs.
"Being involved with the Dolphins has helped propel our brand onto a national stage and assists in generating the awareness we require to get into the hearts and minds of the South African public," said Cairns.
The task of building a massive Sunfoil bottle - which stands 8.8m high and is 2.8m wide - was a formidable one. The nearly yearlong task began with the construction of a three-metre deep concrete base. The internal steel cage that forms the internal metal structure for the bottle was embedded into this.
"The weight of the finished bottles is one ton, so it was necessary to ensure that it is safely secured and designed by a reputable engineering firm. When designing and manufacturing, we had to consider all the elements - heat, cold, rain, wind, expansion, contraction - so the bottle structure was not compromised. We even had to geologically survey the soil where the bottle was going to be placed to make sure it was capable of supporting the structure," Cairns explained.
The bottle itself was made in two parts and then sealed together. It was manufactured from multi fibreglass which has been strengthened and is estimated to have a lifespan of 10 years. It was moulded off an actual technical drawing of the current bottle with the aim of making it look as close to the real thing as possible.
The finished bottle was transported to the stadium on a crane truck where it was lifted into position and secured to the steel frame.
"We would like to thank Jesse Chellan, the CEO for KZN Cricket for supporting this project. We are extremely happy with the end result which will be a landmark at Sahara Stadium Kingsmead for some time to come. It will be a reminder that we support the Sunfoil Dolphins all the way. This project was the first of its kind and there were a lot of hurdles - but the end result makes it all worthwhile. We would also like to thank Goba Engineers and Powerbrand Signs for all their efforts in making this project possible," said Cairns.
