Contract bottler and glass manufacturer Encirc Beverages has deployed a second drinks blending stream at its Elton facility in Cheshire in order to double its production capacity to blend beverage products.
The investment in the new equipment is intended to increase both production capacities as well as allow ingredients to be mixed in correct quantities at high speed for diluting and bottling.
Encirc's move is expected to improve quality of soft drinks, beer, wine, cider, and other beverages which contain ingredients with low solubility such as pectin, which has for long been considered a difficult ingredient to blend.
The new equipment is fitted with a drum offload injection feed and homogenizer, along with a five-stream blending skid and high shear batch mixer. The company has also updated the existing equipment for further enhancement of plant capacity.
Encirc has converted two storage vessels into additional batch mix vessels, while adding another two fitted with recirculation chilling technology which helps store fruit concentrates at sub-zero temperatures until they ready for bottling.
Encirc Beverages technical manager David Lynn said: "As a company, we've seen some impressive growth in demand for our manufacturing and filling services over the last 12 months, so it's crucial that we do all we can to ensure we can satisfy our customers' needs now and in the future.
"This investment is not just about meeting demand though. It's vital to help us further improve the quality of the drinks we fill to ensure we continue to provide the best possible service both to our customers and to end-consumers."
