Phoenix Group increases filling capacity for oils by more than 300%

Food producer Phoenix Group has increased capacity at its filling facilities in the UK, following a six-figure investment in its production capabilities.

The new bottling line was installed at the company’s Nottinghamshire factory in March at a cost of £120,000 and is the first phase of a two-part project to service its growing share of the cold pressed rapeseed and coconut oil markets in the UK and overseas.

The new line will add automated capping and filling processes to the site’s existing automated labelling function, allowing for easy switching between product types for shorter production runs and flexibility in filling volumes between 50ml and 1l. Phoenix’s hourly filling capacity has increased from 350 bottles to 1,500 bottles.

By the time a second upgrade is completed later this year – adding automated bottle decanter feeds and labelling systems – the line’s capacity will have increased sevenfold in 12 months to 2,200 bottles per hour.

Phoenix Group production manager Paul Paveling said: “This investment matches our ambitions for growth and signals a step change in the scale of contracts we can now deliver for our customers.

“As the biggest player in the cold pressing market, we’re now far ahead of the competition and want to keep building on that. With double production shifts coming into force this month we’ll soon be running 24/7 operations for the first time on this new line, meaning that our output should increase significantly in the coming months.”