85 / 108
FACTORY FLOOR
Hand sanitizer is only one of several products HumphreyLine produces domesti-
cally, says President Mel Ellis, but it is one of the most popular. “We produce just
under 200 different products, although each one has numerous color, size and decorat-
ing options. We are among the industry leaders in six categories: hand sanitizers, lip
balms, tooth brushes, sand pails, stadium cups and the Humphrey Flyer,” Ellis says.
“We do not allow imports in our product line. Instead, we make everything we
sell. This gives us a tremendous advantage over other suppliers of similar products in
that we never run out of stock, and we actually know what is in our products,” says
Ellis. “We are in the business of serving our customers, and we do this through drop-
dead reliable customer service and by being a product safety leader.”
Ellis describes the process from procurement to packaging hand sanitizer, as it
HUMPHREYLINE’S DOMESTIC OPERATION TAKES ON HAND SANITIZER.
BY JEN ALEXANDER
happens on his company’s factory
floor.
“We purchase bulk gel and spray
sanitizer made by a local firm, and we
purchase bottles and caps from another,”
says Ellis. “We operate three filling lines
in our plant, so we have great flexibility
in meeting spikes in demand.”
Read on to learn how sanitizer goes
from free-flowing to contained.
The bulk product is pumped into
the designated filling line, where the
“goop” is dispensed through a nozzle
into the bottle as it passes underneath.
Once the bottle is filled, the automatic
capper applies the cap, which then goes
through a spinning tightener.
The bottles are inspected for fill,
appearance and cap tightness before
INTER MONTHS HAVE MANY
reaching
for that little boost of reassurance in a bottle
—hand sanitizer—and HumphreyLine,
which was acquired by Polyconcept North
America in November, is ready to supply health-conscious users
with U.S.-made options straight from its factory.
W
Ensuring Healthier Handshakes
DECEMBER 2014 •
PPB
• 81
CONNECT
201412_FactoryFloor_PPB 2013 11/14/14 9:09 AM Page 81