Many home based Soap manufacturers gradually climb up the corporate ladder and eventually expand their production capacity by acquiring modern soap making machines, packaging line and product distribution systems.
One particular area of interest here is the acquired automated systems such as Soap Plodders.
By lack of long term planning, haste and lack of advice, they often run for locally fabricated soap making machines, otherwise known as soap plodders.
This is where their journey to endless expenditures starts.
Firstly, it is noteworthy that these Jua kali machines are more Expensive than the imported modern versions-often retailing at 180-350 shillings.
It is however, advisable to note that these locally fabricated gadgets have their own flaws emanating from poor research and lack of innovativeness. These problems are in origin technical, structural, mechanical and electrical designs. These failures always lead to constant breakdowns that require frequent visits by engineers. This in turn leads the owner of the factory into loosing more money to repairs and stagnated production.
In my research, I have come across dissatisfied manufacturers who often seek advice from us on how to navigate out of this pattern of losses.
Some of the common problems with Jua Kali machines we are called to solve are;
1. Frequent breakdown
2. Over heating
3. Poor soap texture
4. Soap getting stuck into machine
5. Machine stopping to produce soap
6. Soap plodder vibrating a lot
7. Soap machine consuming a lot of power
8. Soap getting stuck into the plodder barrel
9. Increased cost of production
I sought the advice of one engineer, a Mr. Frederick, who runs an Engineering firm in Industrial Area, and this is the summary he gave me concerning the above outlined problems:
Apparently, the above mentioned problems are borne out of mechanical and/or electrical errors during fabrication of these machines.
Let us expound on the factors listed above, their direct causes and problems associated with some of the locally fabricated (Jua Kali) machines.
It is understandable that these Jua Kali soap making machines have no technical standards upon which they operate. For example, they have no standard L/D Ratio which defines the Soap Processing Pressure.
Timed Soap Output Control Adjustment. Failure to or lack of this retards the energy transferred to the soap by shear effect, in turn affecting the maximum degree of refining.
Another major and common technical error in some Jua Kali machines is Milling Valve Gap that is more than 0.1 mm. Since the soap must exit in very thin flakes, the soaps that are plodded by these machines have dry specks (roughness, grit)
Calculated Dissipation of generated heat in the barrel is a critical issue which the Jua kali machines lack, and this affects Heat Exchange Efficiency, in turn affecting the soap output and quality.
Gross structural defects resulting from poor fabrication are solely responsible for machine vibration and noise. Jua Kali artisans do not put this into considerations when fabricating the soap plodders.
Choice of motor, couplings, gears and pulley diameter is responsible for efficient power consumption. This is lacking in Jua Kali machines and often, the owners of these machines find out that they are paying for more powers bills than the labor and raw materials combined.
Many Jua Kali artisans who make/sell these machines pose as engineers and often, their clients realize too late when they make a decision to give up soap making business citing the bad experience they have had with their prized implements.
Article By: Muthoni Thuranira
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