Algerian company Groupe Benamor – one of North Africa’s largest and most successful food manufacturers – became a Cat® customer seven years ago. You might say the Cat gensets they own have become an important ingredient in their growing success supplying a variety of food products to customers throughout Europe providing prime power to their plants. Amor Benamor is the brand name of their many food products. The company thought it was time to make their first-ever visit to the United States to see how their Cat equipment is produced. The itinerary included tours of the Mapleton Foundry where the engine blocks are made, Building SS in East Peoria as well as the Caterpillar Visitors Center. We had a chance to catch up with the group during their stop in Peoria, and here is our conversation: 

Tell us about your company. 

(Customer: Hemza Zeghache, Production Director/Groupe Benamor) 

We are a food company and produce a variety of food products, but mainly pastas, couscous, spices, pickled vegetables, fresh tomatoes, and sauces. We operate six factories – four of which produce tomatoes and two that do pastas and couscous. We export mainly to France and Italy, and are starting to look into exporting to Germany as well. We are not in the U.S. yet. 

What kind of Cat equipment do you own? 

(Customer: Hemza Zeghache)   

We bought two large engines this year and both are DGB (Cat Dynamic Gas Blending™) generator sets. This is our first visit to the U.S., and we are here to learn more about the DGB genset.  

(Cat Dealer:  Salim Zidani, Sales Manager/Bergerat Monnoyeur Algeria) 

The customer also bought two gensets last year, but they were diesel. Then this year they bought two new DGB gensets. They plan to modify the two diesels to become DGB gensets because they are so satisfied with the performance. 

Why buy Caterpillar? 

(Customer: Hemza Zeghache)   

We chose Caterpillar because it is the best. It’s known for being the best. It is popular and well known worldwide.

How long has Amor Benamor been a Cat customer? 

(Cat Dealer:  Salim Zidani)   

They have been customers since 2012 and own a total of 10 gensets, including the 3516BHD, C13, C15, C18 and C32.

What are you learning during your first visit to Caterpillar in the U.S.? 

(Cat Customer: Hemza Zeghache)   

We saw a lot of things we did not know before in the engine manufacturing space. There were so many things about Caterpillar that we had no idea about before visiting.

Talk about your relationship with your local dealer BM Algeria and Caterpillar? 

(Cat Customer: Hemza Zeghache)   

We are very content and have a very good relationship. The relationship is very strong, and the dealer is always advising us, helping us simplify things, and orienting us on the best way to approach certain things. We are thankful to have such great representatives from Caterpillar and the dealer. 

Your website talks a lot about how important quality and excellence are to your company which is certainly similar to what we talk about at Caterpillar. Talk about why quality and excellence are so important to Benamor. 

(Cat Customer: Hemza Zeghache)  

We make sure to focus on quality. We buy the latest and greatest technology, and we make sure our labs are well-equipped. We focus on the quality of our products and the ingredients that we use to make those products. We take pride in having the best technologies and the best labs and the best after-treatment. The proof is, we have Cat products! It is so important we use the best products. Every ingredient is certified. And, we do not discard waste water. We recycle it and it gets reused. So, we take a “green” approach. We are the leader in Africa in terms of our production capacity.

What else do you want people to know?  

(Cat Customer: Hemza Zeghache)   

We take great pride in the quality of our products and believe we are the best in Africa. Amor Benamor has a big presence in larger cities and participates in many international exhibitions. We just had a big exhibition in Paris and received a top prize for our stand being the best of the show. Again, it is all about quality! 

As Caterpillar’s Industry Representative working with both the customer and dealer, it seems there is a close relationship among everyone involved.  

(Caterpillar Industry Rep Adrien Perreard/Electric Power Division)   

Yes, and I really want to recognize Groupe Benamor and their dealer, Bergerat Monnoyeur Algeria. This is a relationship that started many years ago. I know the dealer appreciates working with them, and this relationship has resulted in more business. On the Caterpillar side, our purpose statement is “our solutions help our customers build a better world.” This is a very real and positive statement for this customer. Blending diesel and gas through the DGB offering lowers their operational cost. The customer has found this product to be an efficient and cost-effective choice for their application. 

If you want to learn more about Amor Benamor, go to the company’s website: https://www.amorbenamor.net