CJB Industries Installs Automated Small Bottle Packaging Line

Expands filling, labeling and packaging capabilities in response to customer, market needs

There has been a void within the chemical manufacturing industry – the ability to efficiently fill small bottles. CJB Industries has responded by installing a state-of-the-art, automated small bottle packaging line at its Cypress Street Annex facility. The line accommodates bottle sizes from 4 ounces to 1 liter with one or two caps. Depending on bottle size and number of caps per bottle, the line can run a high volume of pieces per shift.

In recent years, much of the chemical industry has been focused on filling larger volume needs. Many contract or toll manufacturers have less capacity to run smaller bottles within their formulation unit, and there’s often a significant amount of manual labor involved. This lengthens run times and diminishes efficiencies. With certain markets creating demand for smaller bottles in response to consumer, environmental and regulatory pressures, companies serving those markets continue to encounter challenges with production schedules.

“We heard concerns from the industry and installed this purpose-built solution to fill a need that has been unmet in the market,” said Jordan LaCoste, plant manager. “Our new packaging line provides the precision, consistency and flexibility needed to fill smaller bottles. It is not tied to a formulation unit; instead, it accepts totes, drums and bulk tankers of product.”

Not being tied to a formulation unit means the line runs in response to small-bottle orders; there’s no need to fight for a spot in the production schedule. And through the automation built into the equipment, CJB Industries is able to improve on several parameters important to customers – repeatability, efficiency and flexibility.

“We’re able to create and save recipes,” explained Caitlyn Scott, process engineer. “This improves the precision and accuracy throughout the line – from fill weights and cap torque to labeling and packaging. The automation enables us to deliver consistent, repeatable results, which translates into better quality for our customers. It also allows us to produce higher throughput, which leads to greater efficiency. And by saving recipes, the system improves our flexibility so we can more quickly changeover for a different product run. Automation and saving recipes also speed our ability to run a different bottle size and product label for the same formulation.”

The small bottle packaging line at its Cypress Street Annex facility represents another investment from CJB Industries to ensure it continues to meet the evolving needs of its customers and the industries it serves. Over the past several years, it invested heavily in its Gil Harbin facility, adding 6,500 square feet that expanded capacity to include bulk in addition to packaged finished goods and 45,000 square feet that added warehouse, office and lab upgrades at the facility.