Success Stories
A Crewe based manufacturer of eco-friendly domestic cleaning products, with support from the Recovery and Growth programme, has invested in a new automated production line to give it a competitive edge and drive sustainability within its market.
Enabling revenue growth of 25% over 3 years and creating 2 new jobs, with environmental sustainability.
Opportunity to grow
Qualkem, a 2nd generation family business, based in Crewe, is adopting a filling and labelling operation specifically for short product runs.
The business believes that the solution – which uses up to 100% recycled plastic tubes and closures, 85% recycled polyurethane labels that are in-line applied, and 85% recycled cardboard packaging – is unique to the market and could generate significant sales growth of up to 25% of current turnover over the next three years, and create two new jobs.
The investment will also give the company visibility and access to valuable production data to drive continuous improvement across its processes.
Ivan Anketell-Clifford, Director, said: “Introducing the automatic tube labelling and filling machinery will allow us to offer another packaging regime to our existing customer base as well as enabling us to actively market to new sectors, for example the cosmetics sector. Moreover, this project will allow us, and our customers, to do our bit for society and the environment, and place more sustainably packaged products on the marketplace.”
The Solution
The project involves reconfiguring a 5m2 section of the factory and installing a fixed automatic tube labelling machine, along with an
automatic 5-250ml plastic tube filling and sealing machine.
The labelling machine will be operated by an operator stacking tubes into a carousel that feeds individual tubes onto mandrills that rotate, applying a label. These are then discharged onto a conveyor for bulk packing off, or transferred by conveyor onto the tube filling and sealing machine. Each machine will be operated by two people, or three if machines are running concurrently.
Benefits to the business
The filling and labelling machines will produce between 1,800 and 2,400 tubes per hour, with the capacity of manufacturing 10,000 daily. This is forecast to grow sales by over 25% over the next three years.
The investment will also create two new jobs, including a dedicated machine setter, and upskill the roles of existing packing assistants. Meanwhile, the new roles will free up the production supervisor to develop new opportunities and income streams.
Ivan said: “We believe we will be the only UK company in our market capable of doing both tube filling and labelling, that specialises in small production runs. This will give us our edge. The new machinery will start making money straight away by adding a new business capability whilst utilising resources very efficiently.
“We are entering a key expansion phase where being able to provide flexible solutions and rapid response will become essential in conquering new markets and new, more demanding customers. The new machinery is going to make a huge difference to our company’s future and will help us achieve our true potential. This project will also spearhead the company’s journey towards more sustainable packaging solutions and overcome an existing Minimum Order Quantity barrier to market for start-up businesses or indie brands who can use us to produce smaller orders, and we can grow together.”
