UPL Europe Ltd specialises in the formulation and manufacturing of high-performance agrochemicals, including herbicides, insecticides, biostimulants, and more.
This case study features an interview with Mr Vivek Vaidya, Manufacturing Manager, who discusses UPL’s investment in modern filling technology to support rapidly increasing production demands.
Modernised Technology
With UPL’s strong reputation for quality and a proven product portfolio driving exponentially increasing output requirements, 2020 marked the right time to invest in progress.
To replace an ageing machine from another supplier that could no longer keep pace, UPL requested two fully automated filling lines, incorporating Adelphi Masterfil S5000-A and S5000-A ATEX fillers.
“The Adelphi Masterfil machines are more modern, intuitive and easy to get on with,” says Vivek. “Between them, they are filling 1L, 5L and 10L containers. Our ‘Day 1’ product in 5L containers is now being filled exclusively on the S5000-A machine.”
Optimised Efficiency
The meticulously organised UPL production site is now filling 16,000 litres per 8-hour shift.
“Downstream machines can’t keep up with any faster!” Vivek explains.
“Changeover between product-to-product is an easy job. Changeovers can be scheduled anywhere from 2 days to 1 month into a filling cycle, so this is vital.”
“There is a lot more output and accuracy compared with the old machines.”
Robust and Reliable
The machines feature 304 stainless steel construction, combined with 316L stainless steel contact parts, providing superior corrosion resistance. Many machines of this type remain fully operational after more than 30 years.
Despite some initial teething problems, the long-term performance has proven strong.
“It’s not the snags, it’s how they’re dealt with,” says Vivek. “Now I can say they are reliable!”
