Handling bulk edible oils with Alba
West Australian manufacturer Alba Edible Oils set CHEP the task of moving its canola oil and tallow across the Nullabor. CHEP devised a returnable packaging system that, according to Alba, is more economic than a one way packaging system.
Automatic Unicon being filled with canola oil.
Alba produces edible oils and fats for food manufacturing at its 24/7 plant in Perth, producing over 60,000l of canola oil a day
It has a growth strategy aimed at increasing production by 60% over the next year and needed a business partner to accommodate the expansion
Alba Edible Oils chief executive and director, Ashley Palmer, whose family acquired WA-based Alba in the late 1990s, said CHEP’s returnable packaging system – featuring the HACCP certified Unicon Plus – was more cost effective for Alba than a one-way packaging system
Alba also needs to quickly heat and decant tallow, which is solid at room temperature, into its customers’ onsite vessels
While CHEP’s existing heat pad suits medium viscosity products that require a gentler heat (such as liquid sugar, honey and syrups), tallow requires heating at a higher temperature in a specific timeframe
To address this, CHEP worked in collaboration with Alba over several months to develop the Unicon Hi Temp Heat Pad.
CHEP Australia senior business relationships manager, Peter Gaddes, said the project team ensured shipping efficiencies were maximised without risking the quality of the product.
“The added benefits of using the Unicon Hi Temp Heat Pad for Alba is its flexibility, as it can be simply slipped into a standard IBC where and when the customer needs it and removed when they don’t.
“This has already been a very exciting partnership with Alba to achieve this much so quickly and we look forward to continuing with innovative solutions that will help them grow their business.”
Palmer said the partnership with CHEP was built on a need to work with a supplier who could meet their growing demand for equipment and services.
In addition to the heat pads, Alba uses specially designed co-extruded liners with the Unicon Plus units as well as CHEP pallets.
Part of Alba’s growth is a new industrial non-food division that devises new uses for oils, particularly oils that can replace synthetic products.
“We’ve added a million litres a month to our capacity and we intend to grow this. CHEP has the capacity to grow with us and has demonstrated this in WA by being there for us at peak periods to keep up with production.
“We’re developing an innovative partnership and that’s what we’ve enjoyed about our relationship with CHEP.”
Contact: www.albaoil.com.au
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