Specialist Contract Granule Processing
At Grotech Production, we specialise in the coating and impregnation of pre-manufactured granules, helping customers add value, functionality and active ingredients to existing granular materials.
Using specialist equipment and decades of contract manufacturing experience, we can apply liquid formulations, powder ingredients, colourants, fragrances and other treatments to granules for a wide range of industries and applications.
Please note: Grotech does not manufacture the base granules themselves. Our expertise lies in processing, coating and impregnating customer-supplied or third-party manufactured granules to create a finished product that meets your specific performance requirements.
From initial product development and laboratory-scale trials through to commercial-scale processing, quality control and final packing, our experienced team can support you throughout every stage of your project
Granulation Impregnation
Granule impregnation is the process of introducing liquid formulations, active ingredients or specialist additives into the structure of an existing granule.
Our team works closely with customers to develop an effective impregnation process that achieves consistent distribution of the active ingredient while maintaining product quality and performance.
Using specialist processing equipment and technical expertise, we carefully manage factors such as:
- Liquid loading rates
- Product absorption characteristics
- Moisture control
- Drying requirements
- Dust reduction
- Product flowability
- Product stability and shelf life
Whether you’re introducing a new active ingredient, improving product performance or developing an entirely new granulated product, we can support the process from initial trials through to full-scale manufacture.
Benefits of Granule Impregnation
- Incorporation of liquid active ingredients into granules
- Improved handling and application characteristics
- Consistent distribution of active ingredients
- Reduced dust generation
- Enhanced product functionality
- Flexible processing for a variety of granule types
Granule Coating
Grotech also provides specialist granule coating services, applying liquid or powder-based coatings to the surface of existing granules.
Granule coating can be used for a wide variety of purposes, including:
- Applying active ingredients
- Adding colourants and identification markers
- Improving product appearance
- Enhancing flow properties
- Reducing dust levels
- Providing protective surface treatments
- Delivering additional product functionality
Our experienced production team focuses on achieving an even, consistent coating while maintaining the integrity and physical properties of the original granule.
We understand the challenges that can arise during processing and can help overcome issues such as:
- Uneven coating coverage
- Product clumping
- Excess moisture
- Drying difficulties
- Poor product flow
- Segregation during handling
Through careful process development and testing, we work to establish a robust manufacturing process that can be successfully scaled from trial batches to commercial production.
Product Development & Process Scale-Up
Every granule project is different. That’s why we offer flexible development services to help customers move from concept to production with confidence.
Our team can assist with:
- Product development
- Formulation support
- Process optimisation
- Trial batches
- Proof-of-concept work
- Commercial scale-up
- Production troubleshooting
- Quality testing
By working collaboratively with customers during the development stage, we can help identify potential manufacturing challenges early and establish a practical, cost-effective processing route
Our Granule Processing capabilities
Every granule project is different. That’s why we offer flexible development services to help customers move from concept to production with confidence.
Our team can assist with:
- Product development
- Formulation support
- Process optimisation
- Trial batches
- Proof-of-concept work
- Commercial scale-up
- Production troubleshooting
- Quality testing
By working collaboratively with customers during the development stage, we can help identify potential manufacturing challenges early and establish a practical, cost-effective processing route.
How did Grotech’s granule production services help cat lovers in the UK?
DARK nights and cold dreary days make us all want to hunker down inside in the warmth and our pets are no exception.
Cats, in particular, are known for seeking out the cosiest, comfiest nooks and staying put for the duration!
The second most popular pet in the UK, it is estimated that there are some eight million pet cats with five million households owning at least one!
While many moggies like, and are able, to wander at will outside, there are a large number who are housebound at least part of the time, making indoor toilet facilities a vital part of responsible pet ownership.
As bespoke contract manufacturers and packers, Grotech Production Ltd turns its hand to a wide range of chemical related goods and one such product we have been involved in developing is an anti-bacterial blue granule cat litter for potential sale in the UK. Our customer had a calcined clay granule that they wanted dyeing blue and impregnating with an anti-bacterial solution.
Granule production is one of our main processes at Grotech but this brief also required us to formulate the anti-bacterial solution ensuring it contained enough of the anti-bacterial agent to be effective bactericide while also being dark enough to stain the granule blue and able to dry sufficiently well to prevent the granules being sticky to the touch.
Having developed the formulation, we carried out lab trials followed by a pilot production trial. The anti-bacterial impregnated granules were mixed with another clay granule and filled into polythene sacks. The aim of the end product was to both absorb the cat’s urine in the litter tray while its anti-bacterial properties suppressed any odour.
Inconsistencies with the supplied granules meant the production process needed adapting to first sieve out and separate any oversize rogue granules and then adjust the water content in the anti-bacterial solution formulation to prevent them from becoming too soft and sticky.
During the development of the product some three tonnes of the original formulated granules were manufactured plus another five tonnes involving different variants with alternative granules, bactericides and colours. The end result? Sweet smelling bathroom facilities for the adored pets of cat lovers in the UK!
Do you have a product that needs a helping hand from experts in granule production? Grotech Production Ltd have more than 30 years’ experience in providing end to end bespoke chemical product development, manufacture and packing services. We are here to help you. Email us here or give us a call on 01405 761746.
