Stock at risk of expiry
About 800 jerry-cans of 5 kg of ink close to expiry or already expired, with a risk of economic loss.
Analytical Case Study
INKFILLER: the automatic system that eliminated waste and environmental issues in ink management.
How Celima Peru recovered over 4,000 kg of ink close to expiry, eliminated the disposal of around 10,000 jerry-cans per year and transformed colour management through IBCs and automated distribution.
Celima and ink management in a high-throughput plant
Celima is one of the leading tile manufacturers in the Peruvian market and uses digital decoration technologies across multiple production lines.
The plant operated with 5 production lines, 5 digital colours managed daily, ink supply via jerry-cans and decentralised colour-stock management.
A functional system, but characterised by high complexity in managing expiry dates and consumables.
A seemingly normal system, but with a significant impact on sustainability and operating costs.
Jerry-can management generated hidden costs and environmental issues
Using jerry-cans posed two main problems: stock management and environmental impact.
The inks were subject to expiry, and large quantities of product in the warehouse risked generating significant economic losses. At the time of analysis there were around 800 jerry-cans of 5 kg of product close to expiry or already expired, with a concrete risk of non-use and disposal.
High volume of waste
Every used jerry-can became an industrial waste item to handle and dispose of.
Residue to dispose of
Ink residue classified as material for disposal, with significant environmental and economic costs.
Decentralised management
Colour stock managed in a decentralised way: complexity in expiry dates and handling.
The diagnosis: the problem wasn't the ink, but the management system
During the analysis, stock levels, ink storage condition, real line consumption, printer feeding methods and empty-container management were assessed.
The analysis highlighted a key point: the economic value contained in the jerry-cans could be recovered through automated product management. A solution was needed that could recover existing inks and ensure sustainable management over the long term.
| Parameter | Previous solution | New solution |
|---|---|---|
| Stock management | Complex | Centralised |
| Product recovery | Limited | Complete |
| Quality control | Variable | Consistent |
| Expiry management | Critical | Optimised |
| Environmental impact | High | Reduced |
INKFILLER: stock recovery and automatic distribution
The INKFILLER system was designed to recover the product held in the jerry-cans, centralise ink management, ensure continuous line feeding and drastically reduce waste production.
-
Automatic recirculation and filtering
Safe use of inks close to expiry or already expired, preserving their operational quality.
-
Centralised distribution
Constant feeding of the 5 production lines from a single system.
-
Switch to IBC containers
Elimination of jerry-can management and optimisation of internal logistics.
-
Value recovery
Product destined for disposal is reintroduced into the production cycle.
-
Waste reduction
Drastic reduction of contaminated containers to dispose of each year.
-
Consistent quality control
Colour quality kept stable across all lines, regardless of the batch.
From stock recovery to the new centralised management
The first phase of the project was dedicated to recovering the material held in the warehouse. Thanks to the automatic recirculation and filtering system, around 800 jerry-cans of 5 kg were used without production problems, over 4,000 kg of ink in total.
Once the existing material was used up, management was fully converted to IBCs, definitively eliminating the criticalities linked to jerry-cans.
In the Field
Photo gallery of the project
Real numbers after one month of operation.
Before
10.000
Jerry-cans/year
After
4.000 kg
Ink recovered
After installing INKFILLER, Celima fully recovered the existing stock (over 4,000 kg of ink re-valued) and switched to IBC management, eliminating around 10,000 jerry-cans per year destined for disposal. A result combining environmental sustainability, operational efficiency and economic saving.
| Metric | Result | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Ink recovered | +4,000 kg | Stock at risk of expiry reintroduced into production |
| Jerry-cans eliminated | -10,000/yr | Disposal of contaminated containers brought to zero |
| Stock recovered | 800 units | 5 kg jerry-cans emptied and re-valued |
| Ink management | Centralised | 5 lines fed from a single system |
| Colour logistics | IBC | Internal handling optimised |
What this case demonstrates
The Celima case shows that inks close to expiry are not necessarily waste, that reducing industrial waste delivers economic and environmental benefits together, and that centralisation and automation eliminate the criticalities linked to stock, expiry dates and material handling.
01
Value recovery
Inks close to expiry are not necessarily waste: with the right system they can become a production resource.
02
Tangible sustainability
Reducing industrial waste means achieving economic and environmental benefits at the same time.
03
Smart ink management
Centralisation and automation eliminate the criticalities linked to stock, expiry dates and material handling.
Next step
Got a similar situation?
If you run a ceramic line with similar technical challenges, we can help with targeted technical consulting.
More success stories
See all →
07 Let's talk
Want to optimize your production line performance?
30 years in the ceramic industry. From diagnosis to solution, a single point of contact.