Control of infections transmission: NATURELLE and ENFLEX, a partnership of excellence for the wet-wipes market
Naturelle Consumer Products, based in County Tyrone in Northern Ireland and founded in 1987, is today a leading contract manufacturer of disposable hygiene products for the control of contamination and infection for the Medical and Pharmaceutical Industries. All Naturelle products are manufactured using stringent quality assurance systems and procedures which are independently accredited to ISO 13485/cGMP.
The Company specializes in private label and contract manufacturing for customers which include the World’s top pharmaceutical companies, as well as other international healthcare organizations, and major retail groups throughout Europe.
Naturelle-manufactured products are currently distributed in 100 countries and are estimated to reach 14,000 European retail outlets.
Gabriel Bradley, Naturelle’s Managing Director, describes the success and the development of the company as follows:
“In the process of becoming a successful supplier of disposable wet-wipes, Naturelle was able to develop from the foundation of a long background in the supply of industrial hygiene products, cleaning liquids and personal protective clothing for the control of infections and the protection of personnel in the workplace.
This background brought Naturelle into ever closer working relationships with top-quality international companies in the healthcare sector, which companies were needing to meet the ever-increasing demands of their markets for disposable wipes, principally for use in medical environments.
Today, our sterile wet-wipe products are designed exclusively for the healthcare industry and for use in hospitals and clinics.
To meet that demand, Naturelle has developed a very strong in-house team, focused on every aspect of quality, working to very exacting quality standards.
A key element of our development has focused on the long-term relationships which we have established both with our customers and with our suppliers. We will gladly assist our customers with their developments and it is our experience that those relationships, whether in customer care or in sourcing of materials and production machinery, help to produce for Naturelle the results which best lead to the growth and the success of our business.”
Naturelle & ENFLEX: 15 years of progress and success
The collaboration between Naturelle and ENFLEX goes back a long way. Enflex installed the first wet-wipe machine for NATURELLE 15 years ago, starting with the Model F-11 Duplex Towelette Machine. Over the years, product development and diversification has required further capacity, up to the point where, today, the ENFLEX Machines are meeting an annual market demand approaching half a billion towelette products.
In more recent years, this cooperation has been further supported by the dedicated and technically-based work of Propack Automation Machinery, distributor of the ENFLEX brand in the UK and Ireland. Patrick Fleming, Propack MD comments that it was Naturelle’s total emphasis on quality, not only of the products themselves but also of their perfect appearance and presentation, which first attracted his attention and which has made all of our joint developments so satisfying.
Enflex’s technological expertise is therefore central to the production of Naturelle wipes. Gabriel Bradley also confirms this: "This collaboration has evolved over the years and today, our machinery inventory includes a larger number of Enflex machines, including a new updated version with substantial technological improvements.”
Enflex's know-how which spans nearly forty years and its aptitude for innovation are key factors to consider when putting forward solutions that will meet even the most demanding requirements.
The challenge for ENFLEX: Naturelle’s new direction
Naturelle’s international success and the desire to offer the products under the most stringent quality requirements of the pharmaceutical and health care industries are key to our ongoing cooperation.
The Naturelle company has two specific requirements:
• To Increase productivity to meet the higher demand for its products.
• To maintain the highest level of quality while innovating to meet the needs of their high-quality customers.
The machines proposed by Enflex were therefore specifically developed to overcome the limitations of the previous generation of horizontal sachet machines, suitable only for smaller outputs and requiring longer change over times between products.
When asked about the choice of supplier that best addresses the needs of the company, Naturelle’s Managing Director, Gabriel Bradley, replied that "Out of all the companies contacted about implementing a new wipes machine, Enflex was the one that showed itself most willing to meet those challenges.
The solution: efficient production at the highest healthcare standards
Enflex machinery for Naturelle is composed of two models in duplex version:
• F-11 Dx, considered the first wipe machine to start the journey in this market.
• F-17 Dx, considered to be the Machine which was most capable of meeting the challenges of the industry for the future.
The advantages of ENFLEX solution
Gabriel Bradley, described the reasons for and the benefits of the collaboration between Naturelle and Enflex as follows:
“The obvious advantages include the greater versatility in the changeover and the higher productivity.
The expectations have been met, which is also thanks to the strong collaboration between the two companies. The Enflex engineers and distributors were extremely good at identifying all the solutions needed to optimize the various styles, as well as being particularly willing to discuss the various adjustments to be made together with Naturelle personnel in the weeks following testing.
The level of collaboration and excellent service were additional reasons that convinced Naturelle to appoint Enflex and to continue the acquisition of the Enflex F-11 and F-17 models”.
Future challenges
The success of this project has confirmed the valuable relationship between Naturelle and the Enflex organization and has consolidated the foundations for the continuation of the partnership. In a scenario that foresees the launch of new products and styles, Naturelle maintains that Enflex is a supplier that responds promptly to the needs of the company:
“We believe Enflex can be a strategic ally that can be relied on for future challenges, implementing modifications and upgrades to our installed base machines".
The ability of both companies to innovate is certainly one of the main factors that already makes it possible to envisage working successfully together on new projects in the future.
Enflex’s continuous investment in research and development allows it to create state-of-the-art machines, and therefore to satisfy the needs of customers such as Naturelle, which is a reference worldwide in the wet-wipes market, manufacturing for the most demanding and quality-conscious clientele.
Find out more about ENFLEX machines here or email us for inquiries on how we can help with your product manufacturing needs.