2 minute read
Investment in sustainable manufacturing initiatives
Gwalia Healthcare has seen dramatic changes in the last two years and diversified to address the latest environmental challenges as they strive to achieve their sustainable manufacturing goals.
Significant investment in new machinery has seen Gwalia Healthcare take delivery of 11 new machines across their site, all of which are electric instead of hydraulic and use less energy. It is estimated that a single electric injection moulding machine uses 1.4kW of energy every hour, which is less than half of what is needed to boil a household kettle once. The investment was vital in enabling the company to meet increased demands across all divisions, whilst also reducing the carbon footprint associated with the manufacturing process.
Gwalia Healthcare has also been working closely with British waste management companies on the supply of commercially available food-grade recycled HDPE, enabling them to integrate recycled granules back into the manufacturing process. This has led to a programme of in-house production trials to evaluate different compositions. The company has observed promising results with 30%, 50% and 97% recycled content.
Gwalia Healthcare has received its first purchase order for bottles integrating 50% recycled content. The order came from a public sector organisation which aims to procure as much as possible from within Wales and to promote the model of sustainable manufacturing. The use of recycled HDPE is something that all of Gwalia Healthcare’s pharmaceutical and nutraceutical customers are expected to take advantage of, particularly with the NHS setting out their Net Zero Policy. Gwalia Healthcare is confident that customers will be able to support the NHS’s goals following their latest manufacturing initiatives.
The company has continued to develop its facilities on the Treforest Industrial Estate, Pontypridd, South Wales. The latest installation is the addition of a new, larger cleanroom to accommodate an exciting new project. This new contract work sits well with their ‘granule to product’ approach all available on one site, reducing road
“We are at a very exciting point in the company’s development, and by investing in sustainable initiatives, I hope we will be well placed in the future to meet the new challenges.”
Rod Parker Managing Director Gwalia Healthcare
miles and carbon footprint before arriving with the end customer. The company has a passion for using local UK supply chains wherever possible which provide a sustainable benefit and wider social value.
