Huddersfield Examiner: Karmelle provides filling line for Glastonbury Spring Water

A COMPANY supplying water to quench the thirsts of Glastonbury Festival-goers turned to a Huddersfield manufacturer to build a new bottling plant. Karmelle Liquid Packaging Solutions, based at Canal Street, off Leeds Road, was approached by Glastonbury Spring Water to design and build the equipment after the Somerset-based firm deciding it wanted to support British suppliers. Father-and-son team Brian and Shaun Dickinson came up with the finished design for the rotary mono-block filler, which automatically feeds bottles onto the production line, washes them and fills and caps them before they move onto a labelling machine – also supplied by Karmelle. Glastonbury, which draws its water from a spring below the famous Glastonbury Tor, specified a machine capable of filling 330ml bottles of still or carbonated spring water at a rate of 40 a minute. Under tests, the filling line proved capable of running at 80 a minute. Karmelle managing director Peter Krawczuk said: “Glastonbury wanted to buy British, but they were having difficulty finding a supplier. “Italy is the market leader, but the firm wanted to find someone in Britain. “We had already sold them a labelling machine, so they approached us about the new filler. “We developed the machine with them to incorporate a range of mod-cons and they are very happy with the finished product.” Said Mr Krawczuk: “We are hoping that this contract to supply a complete filling line from start to finish will open the door for us to supply some of the big boys in the drinks sector. But the new line can be used for any liquid products, including bleaches or milks.” He said: “We have brought a new machine shop on line within the past two years and we are getting busier. Things are quite buoyant at the moment. We have also got a number of potential orders in the pipeline.” Karmelle, which was formed in 1985, has completed numerous contracts for clients locally, nationally and across the world. Earlier this year, it supplied a labelling machine to Linthwaite-based pharmaceuticals and household products firm Thornton and Ross. Other commissions have included supplying a production line to fill, seal and label plastic containers of fungicide for a factory in Ghana; providing equipment to fill containers with agrochemicals at a factory in Flint, North Wales; and supplying a white spirit bottling plant for DIY chain B&Q.