13. GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR MANUFACTURING PROCESSES
Although a somewhat arbitrary statement, it can be said that
cold and semi-boiled processes, aiming to produce standard soap likely to meet
widespread local demand, should be more suitable for ACP promoters interested
first and foremost in penetrating their local markets than the other processes.
These processes - using simple and proven technology - are considered more
appropriate bearing in mind the isolation and the difficult industrial
environment of projects in ACP countries.
Full boiled or continuous processes are designed to produce neat
soap for high-grade soaps aimed at a more demanding clientele. These processes
are more suitable for production units run by international groups - such as
Unilever, Henkel, Colgate Palmolive or Procter & Gamble - which enjoy a
brand name and possess considerable management and marketing expertise. Although
the full boiled process is proportionately more economical in terms of
investment, it takes ± 5 times as much steam as the continuous process, and
this places substantial pressure on operating costs. In this respect, continuous
processes are tending to supersede full boiled processes, at least for new
installations.
The table below compares a few typical consumption figures for
the different manufacturing process:
· the minimum size
of a soap factory (small-scale or semi-industrial) is regarded as ± 250
kg/h for an investment starting at ECU 250,000;
· an industrial soap factory is
one with a capacity of 500 kg/h or more;
· continuous processes are not
considered cost-effective below 1,000 kg/h (investment of 1.5 to 3 million ECU
depending on the options chosen for a turnkey soap factory);
· the initial investment ranges
from ECU 150 to 500 per tonne of soap per year, depending on the process, the
size of the finishing line, the production capacity and potential economies of
scale;
· the investment necessary for a
production unit with double the capacity (all options being equal) is generally
multiplied by a factor of 1.5;
· the installations are never
modular, which means that any expansion of capacity needs to be anticipated at
the start of the project.
The table below compares the processes on the basis of a number
of general criteria. These are merely considerations which generally affect the
choice of processes, but which may nevertheless vary from one manufacturer to
another.
