FUCHS, one of the world’s largest independent lubricant manufacturers has made a multi million  pound technology-based investment at its plant at Stoke-on-Trent in the UK. The new facilities include a raw materials warehouse and innovative manufacturing plant. The latest £10 million investment follows on from the opening of a new HQ last year.

Richard Halhead, managing director of FUCHS Lubricants said, “This is a hugely significant project which will have fantastic benefits for the business. It will elevate FUCHS Lubricants to a unique position as the only lubricant manufacturer in the UK with this type of facility, firmly placing us at the forefront in the R&D, manufacture and distribution of lubricants.”

The construction of a new warehouse, holding 4,000 pallet locations, will allow FUCHS to significantly increase its capacity for raw materials, while allowing an existing building to become a specialist packaging warehouse. Enhancements to the production process include the introduction of a robot arm, which has the capacity to simultaneously palletise boxes from three independent filling lines, packing into 15 different box configurations. Further improvements in efficiency will be seen through the introduction of an automatic filling machine, capable of filling 60L, 205L and IBC containers.

Building on the success and demand for the 20 litre Lube Cube, FUCHS’ innovative recyclable packaging solution, the original Lube Cube machine introduced several years ago, sees the planned introduction of a second automatic Lube Cube filling machine to support the increasing demand for the eco-friendly alternative to plastic.  The 20 litre Lube Cube success has been strengthened by the introduction of 4 litre Lube Cube and the latest 5 litre which will be launched mid-year.