Loadhog, the Sheffield-based returnable packaging innovator, has installed a £500,000 state-of-the-art layer pad wash plant in the city. One of only four in the UK and the second largest, the wash plant is the first not to use detergents and is available for use by other transit packaging companies.
The Italian-made plant is designed for the hygienic cleaning of plastic layer pads, used universally to transit pallet-stacked products, most particularly in the glass bottle industry. The 10,000 sq. ft. facility is housed in the 30,000 sq ft. building on Blast Lane which the company took possession of earlier this year.
The glass industry has stringent hygiene requirements and dictates that pads are cleaned after every trip. Loadhog’s wash plant conforms to the British Retail Consortium’s Global Standard for Food Packaging and employs the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) Protocol. All plant personnel are trained to control contamination and carry out microbiological testing, with no pads released until positive results are confirmed.
In addition to eliminating the need for traditional detergents, which are known to leave a residue on the pads’ surface, Loadhog has also invested in a separate reverse osmosis water treatment plant, which literally ‘sucks’ the dirt off the pads.
Dave Arthur, the manager in charge of the wash plant, said: “This is an exciting and potentially highly profitable development for the company. Not only does the new facility enable us to make substantial savings but also to speed up the service for our largest customer, Quinn Glass, for whom we are currently washing 2.5 million pads annually. The company utilises our award-winning and revolutionary Smartstak glass containment system of which layer pads form a part.
“With the capacity to clean seven million pads in a year, the plant also opens up a new income stream from other companies requiring a fast turn round pad cleaning service.”
Loadhog wash plant
Dave Arthur
Tel: 0114 273 1872
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