Although continuous production is becoming the technology of choice for many companies, most personal care product manufacturers still use the well-established but time-consuming batch-based process to make shampoos. So, when a leading cosmetic and personal care product supplier decided to improve its productivity, GEA was asked to design and build a continuous shampoo mixing system to replace its existing batch process.
Wishing to scale-up production, reduce costs and remain at the forefront of cosmetic production technology, the new plant was required to incorporate a continuous mixing process and thereby decrease the inter-batch cleaning requirements, saving time and significantly improving yield. Maintaining the correct product recipe to within strict margins (less than 1%) was paramount. GEA’s challenge was to ensure that the ingredients for each blend could be accurately mixed together in a constant flow, which was achieved using a sophisticated calibration system employing a series of volumetric flow meters and a progressive cavity device to maintain pumping accuracy.
CRUNCH TIME FOR SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER SUPPLIER
“As the client wanted to strengthen its market position” noted a GEA spokesperson, “we scaled-up and increased the shampoo mixing process capability beyond the original 10 tonne batch system to a continuous one. Although some initial capital expenditure was required, the economies of scale and operational savings will ensure a rapid return on investment.” The new system has tripled the company’s capacity and represents a technical first for manufacturers in the region.
