Weightron’s Industrial Waste System brings triple cost benefits to major UK plastic container manufacturer
Weightron Bilanciai’s Industrial Waste Management System (iWM) is playing no fewer than three important roles at leading UK plastic container manufacturer Measom Freer’s plant in Leicestershire*.
Firstly, the legal for trade weighing system is providing critical weight data to help the company manage its commitments for the new Plastic Packaging Tax, which came into force on 1st April 2022. This is levying a £200 per tonne tax on a wide range of plastic products containing less than 30% recycled material.
Secondly, it is helping the company reduce the amount of plastic waste generated on their production lines by accurately measuring and recording the amount of different types of waste produced.
Thirdly, it is providing key data to enable them to calculate individual product costing more precisely.
The iWM has been specifically developed for monitoring complex multi-product waste streams. A key factor in its success is its easy-to-use operator interface, which encourages important operator buy-in. The system at Measom Freer consists of an ultra-low profile 100 kg floor scale with ramp, DD2060 touch screen operator terminal, bar code reader and IP camera.
At the end of each shift, the operators simply scan the waste bins on their line and wheel them onto the weighing scale. The screen then guides them quickly through the weighing process. The data is sent via the built-in WiFi link to Weightron’s cloud based Nexia database software, where it can be accessed by Measom Freer’s management.
Measom Freer’s production manager Ben Freer is very pleased with the Weightron iWM System: “The plastic tax is a very important consideration and can have a significant impact on our costs. Although many of our products are not subject to the tax, certain products must be made out of virgin, non-recycled material. The Weightron system allows us to keep accurate records of finished part weights against the plastic waste we create. This information is reported to HMRC and allows us to claim back a proportion of the plastic tax we are being charged. Our production staff use the iWM to weigh the different types of scrap produced during each shift and find the system very easy to use. The data collected not only allows us to fulfil our obligation to the government, but also identifies production inefficiencies where scrap rates are too high. Another important benefit is that we will now be able to measure each job’s start-up and running cost. Previously these costs were only estimated and unquantifiable, but now we can more effectively work out costings for our products.”
* Measom Freer offer an unrivalled range of recyclable standard and bespoke plastic bottles in all shapes and sizes from 2.5 ml right up to 1.5 litres. Whether it’s beauty and cosmetic products, skin and hair care, car detailing products, chemical containers, food produce or something out of the ordinary, the company can provide the perfect recyclable plastic bottle in a wide choice of colours.