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Modular approach boosts output for personal care manufacturer


A cutting-edge manufacturer in the personal care industry relies on the latest cooling technology to produce popular bath oils, gels, mouth washes, body lotions and fragrances as well as niche brands. Their production requires considerable expertise and innovation and at the heart of processes is an Aermec modular chiller


T


he UK market for beauty and personal care products is worth in excess of £10 billion and spending on beauty and personal care products is set to continue growing.


But one company based in Southern England has successfully cornered the


market and produces over one million units every month. It is a full-service provider rather than a contract filler which means that its team of chemists develop various formulations. As well as filling tubes, jars and bottles of varying sizes, the company also has a cello and shrink-wrapping assembly enabling goods to leave the site ready for retail. The plant has two tube fillers which can handle 5ml up to 300ml and these


may, for example, be used for hand creams and shampoos. The tubes are capped, filled with product then crimped at the base. There is also an adjacent high-speed filler which is used for fragrances for both multiples and small niche brands. The smells wafting around the facility can be heady but intoxicating. Aermec’s NRV modular chiller is used for the cream room where a number of mixing vessels are located including the company’s recently acquired vessel primarily used for shampoos and conditioners. The NRV chiller is part of the modular range that secured Aermec an industry


award for innovation and it delivers cooling for the steam jacketed vessels. The unit has replaced aged kit which was costly and challenging to maintain and was over specified for what the company needed at the time. The business invested in Aermec’s NRV modular chiller as this addressed


environmental concerns but also offered the energy efficiencies and performance levels required. A modular cooling strategy also provided a flexible strategy, that enabled extra modules to be easily added at a later date as the cooling requirements grew. Proactive environmental strategies had long been at the heart of the business;


early on, technologies had been deployed to reduce its dependency on mains water thus reducing water costs and increasing its water recycling. It also invested in a roof top solar powered PV, making a significant reduction


in the company’s energy requirements whilst improving its carbon footprint. The company has a strong environmental policy that ensures that it embraces the best technologies, maximises efficiencies and minimises its impact on the environment, which also aligns closely with Aermec’s own ethos of minimising its environmental impact. Meticulous planning was required when it came to installing Aermec’s chiller


– production could not be interrupted. Each of the company’s products has its own formulation, which requires varying degrees of heating and cooling. The workflow of products on the shop floor can be complex and unlike other industries there is no set peak times other than autumnal months when production is frenetic with products destined for shelves in the run up to Christmas. Depending on the scheduling the factory can be coping with small batches of exclusive products on one side and larger volumes for major supermarkets on the other, but cooling underpins the formulations each use. “We require critical cooling 24/7, all year round” says a company


12 March 2022


spokesperson “If we can’t cool it, we can’t make.” The switchover to the new chiller successfully took place over the summer without the need for any standby chillers. Hot filled products, such as waxes were re-scheduled so that production was not impacted whilst the chiller was being installed and the work was completed before the company ramped up production producing products for the Christmas period. Installation and commissioning including all the pipework, electrics and pump


sets was carried out over a seven-day period. The end result is a closed system circuit using largely recycled water, providing cooling down to 50C.


Benefits


Aermec’s modular chiller design has set new standards in cooling technologies and offers a new approach to system design. Designed for outdoor installation,


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