GEA teamed up with a leading East European home and personal care (HPC) manufacturer to design and install a fully automated, end-to-end manufacturing plant that can process a wide range of HPC products – including laundry detergent, softener and liquid soap - much more efficiently and cost-effectively than traditional semi-automatic setups.
How does the BATCH FORMULA® PRO work?
Established in the 1990s as an importer and distributor of well-known European HPC brands, the company over time expanded into manufacturing a select portfolio of HPC products in-house. Initially investing in equipment for manufacturing dry products, the firm then further broadened its HPC product portfolio to include baby care items, cosmetic wipes, hygiene products, and household paper goods.
With an eye on regional market trends and consumer demand that created new growth opportunities, the company continued to invest in advanced production technologies to manufacture a wider range of own-label HPC products.
The collaboration with GEA focused on designing and configuring a fully automated, multi-purpose end-to-end liquid processing line that can manufacture multiple product types, allowing the company to enter local HPC markets that were previously dominated by imports. Designed to help reduce complexity when switching products, the GEA plant is built to the same hygiene and operator safety standards required of food-grade industries such as dairy and brewing.
Compared with traditional semi-automated manufacturing solutions that require dedicated lines for each product, the automated GEA system offers enviable flexibility.
Falko Fließbach
Director GEA Competence Center Home & Personal Care
The system supports small batch manufacturing so the company can stay agile, meet changing customer demands and create new growth opportunities. Automation reduces manual tasks and can reduce downtime when switching products. Depending on the product he GEA plant has a capacity up to 15,000 tons per year, dependent on the product, even when operating only on day shifts.
The equipment supplied for the plant includes raw material handling and storage systems, dosing and mixing technology, including the GEA BATCH FORMULA® PRO High Shear Mixer, final product storage, and a clean-in-place (CIP) system.
The project was designed around proven GEA technologies, but no two projects are the same, and there were some challenges. The plant may handle highly viscous products that require transport through heat-traced pipelines and storage in temperature-controlled tanks. Some substances passing through the plant may be sensitizing and cause skin irritation.
Working with the company, GEA designed and built the plant to adhere to the most stringent regulatory and safety standards, ensuring safe equipment operation, chemical handling, and protection against fire and explosion hazards. The design also minimized dead legs in the pipework, supporting more effective, efficient cleaning and reducing contamination risk at changeover. GEA further integrated technology solutions (pigging systems) that recover residual product during changeovers to further reduce waste and cleaning chemicals.
Some of the existing processes generated high product losses during transfers and changeovers, generating unnecessary waste and demanded additional CIP requirements. By applying product recovery technology, improved pipework design and an integrated CIP strategy, we are able to reduce product losses, simplify cleaning and improve overall process efficiency.
Darryn Buller
HPC Technical Manager
GEA worked collaboratively with the company throughout the project, to deliver strong technical support and responsiveness at all stages. Since becoming fully operational the plant has witnessed year on year volume growth, with the potential for 24/7 operation, and has space available for future expansion.
Speak to us today to find out how GEA can help you improve the flexibility, efficiency and sustainability of your HPC production.
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