Perfumed, utilized as a disinfectant and cleaning agent for surfaces, or as a whitener for laundry, bleach is certainly among the most versatile products utilized in our homes.

This is the result of a survey carried out by PMMI Pharmaceutical/Nutraceutical Packaging Machinery (USA), through telephone interviews to  71 representatives of the U.S. pharmaceutical industry, selected among people operating for  pharmaceutical/nutraceutical companies, medical device manufacturers, contract, manufacturers/packagers, OEM companies and industry experts.

Well,  the participants to this survey believe that the most important choice criteria, after the machine cost, is the Aftermarket Support ensured by the supplier, followed by  Company reputation e Service location & parts availability.

‘First of all it is important to project and realize  simple- to-use machines: as a matter of fact, not always skilled machine operators are available at the plant’– clarifies Gianmario Ronchi, owner of Ronchi Mario spa, company that in the filling of pharmaceutical specialties has matured significant experiences within a U.S. context.

‘In lack of skilled machine operators, more and more frequently the end-user tends to apply to the supplier for resolving whichever sort of  problem. Within those contexts whereas we have  important business shares, we have established our own  branches: in the United States,  England,  Asia, Mexico and Australia. In order to ensure the best aftermarket support and commercial assistance, and with the aim of making the interaction with the customer easier, our personnel is always local.  The branch also ensures the supply of spare parts available from the local warehouse. In this way, aftermarket support is always guaranteed,  in good time opportunely and quickly.

Since some time concentrated detergents are quite widespread in Europe and in USA.

The lighter bottle, reduced in its dimensions,  results to be easier to use by the consumer.

Not only:  compact detergent  operates in a major environmental sustainability by reducing packaging wastes.

Since  2006,  Packaging Scorecard in  Wal-Mart has started a promotional campaign in favour of concentrated detergents, convincing the market leaders to developing the concentrated versions of the most renowned products.

Unilever  have launched the  “Small & Mighty” bottle, the formulation of which requires  64%  water less than the traditional version and, consequently, a smaller bottle. The product has quickly conquered the marketplace and the bottle has then been adopted for other brands.

On the wave of this success Procter & Gamble too  have  more recently proposed the most famous  Tide, the detergent launched in  1946,  now in concentrated version. It is available for sale since 2008 in USA and Canada.

Needless to say, the industry of the machinery for the filling and conditioning of concentrated detergents has introduced new technologies aimed at supporting the tendencies of the market.  Just think about the extreme filling accuracy guaranteed by the flow-meter technology.

Manufacturing fillers dedicated to the chemical/cosmetic market means, first of all, understanding the requirements of the end-users. Nowadays Customers require flexible machines: this requirement is felt by both the big and the small users, generated by the universal reduction of the lots and by the simultaneous product differentiation.

In a previous post  we already argued about the production of mixed cases.

Another aspect, responding to the demand of flexibility, refers to the quicker and more efficacious wash-up process, achieved thanks to an extreme simplification of the relevant parts of the project.

Today it is possible to fill, through the same machine, shampoos with different fragrances, hair conditioners, hair-comb creams, without any risk of contamination by product residuals.

As a matter of fact, in the Fillers produced by Ronchi the wash-up of the parts in direct contact with the product is achieved by a simple flow of the washing solution, that can be recycled by means of the customized CIP system. After the wash-up operation, the parts in contact with the product can be sterilized with disinfectant solution or with steam up to 130°C. (S.I.P.).

Moreover, the lack of a reservoir dramatically reduces the quantity of detergent (max 15 liters for the filler), thus allowing a remarkable saving if we consider the high costs bound to the disposal of washing solutions.