Perfume manufacturer achieves rapid growth using new Filler Pump

Wolds Manufacturing Ltd, a specialist manufacturer of fragrances and other personal care products, has acquired a new Flexicon PF6 table-top peristaltic filling machine from Watson-Marlow Pumps Group. The machine was selected thanks to its rapid changeover capability, which is highly suitable to the company’s low-to-medium volume application area.

“I previously worked at a company that operated nine Flexicon PF6 machines filling water and oil-based liquids into bottles, so I knew the advantages they could bring,” said Wayne Baker, Director. “We have found the machine to be extremely flexible – we fill everything from 1 ml tester vials up to 200 ml pump-type spray bottles. Furthermore, we can change the fluid path in under a minute, which makes it ideal for the volumes we handle. On average we change product around three times a day.”

The PF6 dispenser provides Wolds with both accuracy (±0.5%) and repeatability. The peristaltic filling principle delivers the widely recognised benefits of precise filling, zero cross contamination and ease of cleaning. Contamination between fragrances is avoided by changing the AccusilTM platinum-cured silicone tubing for each fragrance or by rinsing the tube. Batch sizes at Wolds range from 1000 to 3000.

“We knew of other peristaltic pumps but the Flexicon PF6 gives us the accuracy and throughput we require,” said Mr Baker.   

“The business would not be viable without our two PF6 machines as we would have to pour the products by hand,” said Mr Baker, who is already looking to introduce further levels of automation into the manufacturing process.

“We are looking to semi-automate the set-up in the near future as the business grows,” he explained. “At present, we produce around 50-60 different products, but orders are growing week-on-week. I therefore anticipate that it will not be long before we need to look at automated filling capability, and the PF6 filler gives us the platform we need to achieve this.”