B-101
Utilities
Steam Boiler
500 kg/h · 10 bar · diesel or biomass fired
Supplies steam to the reactor jacket and hot water for cleaning.
Equipment list
Equipment list (CSV)
Everything the plant needs
14 line items in process order, each with its tag, specification, quantity, power and an indicative unit price.
OT-101
Raw materials
Oil Storage & Melting Tanks
5,000 L each · steam coil · transfer pump
Store and melt palm oil, coconut oil and tallow before dosing.
R-201
Saponification
Jacketed Saponification Reactor
1 t batch · SS304 · steam jacket · anchor agitator
Oils react with caustic soda at 80–90 °C for about 4 hours to form soap.
D-201
Saponification
Soap Cooling & Drying Unit
Chill-roll dryer · 250 kg/h · noodle output
Brings neat soap to about 12 % moisture and forms it into noodles.
MX-301
Finishing
Sigma Mixer (Amalgamator)
200 kg batch · twin Z-blades · tilting trough
Blends soap noodles with fragrance, colour and preservatives.
RM-301
Finishing
Triple-Roll Mill
Stone or steel rolls · 300 kg/h
Refines the mix into a smooth, homogeneous soap.
PL-301
Forming
Duplex Vacuum Plodder
300 kg/h · vacuum de-aeration · heated nozzle
Compacts and extrudes soap into a continuous, air-free bar.
ST-301
Forming
Bar Cutter & Stamping Press
Up to 120 bars/min · custom logo dies
Cuts the bar to weight and stamps your logo on each tablet.
FW-301
Packing
Flow-Wrap Packaging Machine
Up to 120 packs/min · printed film · date coder
Wraps each bar in printed film, then bars are cartoned.
MT-401
Liquid mixing
Liquid Mixing Tanks with Agitator
1,000 L · SS304 · variable-speed agitator
Blend SLES, CAPB, salt, fragrance and preservative into hand soap, dish soap or detergent.
WT-401
Liquid mixing
Process Water RO Unit
500 L/h · softener + RO
Makes low-mineral water so liquids stay clear and stable.
LF-401
Liquid filling
Automatic Liquid Filling Machine
6 heads · piston fill · 500 ml–5 L · 1,200 bottles/h
Fills bottles and jerrycans accurately by volume.
CP-401
Liquid filling
Capper & Wrap-Around Labeller
Spindle capper · self-adhesive labels · 1,200 bottles/h
Caps, labels and codes every bottle.
QC-501
Quality
QC Laboratory
pH meter · viscometer · titration kit · incubator
Checks free alkali, TFM, pH, viscosity and microbial counts.
Line items14
Machines17
Connected load≈ 81 kW
Equipment budgetUS$57,500 – 102,500
Indicative ex-works prices (US$, 2026) for budgeting a sample project, not quotations. Photos are illustrative of each machine class.
Process flow diagram
Download PFD (SVG)
From raw material to dispatch
10 unit operations in order, with the equipment that performs each and its control point.
| Step | Operation | Equipment | Control point |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Oil melting & dosingPalm oil, coconut oil and tallow are melted with steam and weighed into the reactor. | OT-101 Oil Storage & Melting TanksB-101 Steam Boiler |
Oil blend 60 : 25 : 15 |
| 02 | SaponificationOils react with caustic soda at 80–90 °C for about 4 hours. | R-201 Jacketed Saponification Reactor |
Temperature log · free alkali test |
| 03 | Neutralise & separateSalt is added to separate glycerin lye; pH is adjusted to 9.5–10.Glycerin lye → recovery | R-201 Jacketed Saponification Reactor |
pH 9.5–10 |
| 04 | Cool & dry to noodlesNeat soap is dried to about 12 % moisture and formed into noodles. | D-201 Soap Cooling & Drying Unit |
Moisture 11–13 % |
| 05 | Mix & millNoodles are blended with fragrance and colour, then triple-milled. | MX-301 Sigma Mixer (Amalgamator)RM-301 Triple-Roll Mill |
Colour vs standard |
| 06 | Plod, cut & stampThe vacuum plodder extrudes a bar that is cut to weight and stamped.Trimmings → re-plod | PL-301 Duplex Vacuum PlodderST-301 Bar Cutter & Stamping Press |
Bar weight ± 2 % |
| 07 | Wrap & cartonBars are flow-wrapped, coded and packed into cartons. | FW-301 Flow-Wrap Packaging Machine |
Seal integrity · code check |
| 08 | Liquid mixingSLES, CAPB, salt, fragrance and preservative are blended into RO water. | WT-401 Process Water RO UnitMT-401 Liquid Mixing Tanks with Agitator |
pH 5.5–7.0 · viscosity |
| 09 | Fill, cap & labelLiquids are filled into 500 ml, 1 L and 5 L packs, capped and labelled. | LF-401 Automatic Liquid Filling MachineCP-401 Capper & Wrap-Around Labeller |
Fill volume ± 1 % |
| 10 | QC releaseEach batch is released after lab tests and retained samples are stored. | QC-501 QC Laboratory |
Certificate of analysis per batch |
Schematic
Download layout (SVG)
Plant layout
6 zones arranged for one-way material flow, with every item of equipment placed by tag.
Features & capacities
Why this line works
Steam-heated batches
Jacketed heating gives even temperature and no scorched soap.
Vacuum plodding
De-aerated bars are dense, crack-free and last longer in use.
Branded tablets
Custom dies stamp your logo on every bar.
By-product recovery
Glycerin lye can be recovered and sold; trimmings go back into the plodder.
Two lines, one plant
The liquid line shares utilities and QC with the bar line.
Batch-released quality
Every batch gets a certificate of analysis before it ships.
Capacities
- Saponification
- 1 t/batch · 5 batches/day
- Bar finishing line
- 300 kg/h
- Stamping
- Up to 120 bars/min
- Liquid mixing
- 2 × 1,000 L batches
- Liquid filling
- 1,200 bottles/h (500 ml)
- Bar formula cost
- ≈ KES 136/kg (100 kg batch)
Utilities required
- Electricity
- ≈ 95 kW connected · 415 V 3-phase
- Steam
- 500 kg/h at 10 bar
- Water
- ≈ 8 m³/day incl. RO process water
- Effluent
- Neutralisation pit before discharge (NEMA licence)
Process instructions
Standard operating procedures
The core routines operators follow, from start-up to batch release.
01Handling caustic soda
- Wear chemical goggles, face shield, gloves and apron when handling NaOH.
- Always add caustic to water, never water to caustic; keep an eye-wash station within 10 m.
- Store caustic separately from acids and oils.
02Bar soap batch
- Melt and weigh oils to the batch card; confirm the blend before charging the reactor.
- Charge caustic slowly under agitation; hold at 80–90 °C for about 4 hours.
- Test free alkali, add salt to separate lye, then adjust pH to 9.5–10.
- Dry to 11–13 % moisture before mixing, milling and plodding.
03Liquid batch
- Charge RO water, then dissolve SLES slowly to avoid gelling.
- Add CAPB, fragrance and preservative; adjust viscosity with salt.
- Check pH 5.5–7.0 and viscosity before transferring to the filler.
04Cleaning & release
- Clean the reactor and mixers with hot water between different products.
- Keep a retained sample of every batch for 12 months.
- Release batches only against a signed certificate of analysis.
Process documents
The full project document
5 sections: open any one to read it, or download the whole document.
01Executive Summary
CleanPro Manufacturing produces bar soap, liquid hand soap, dishwashing liquid, and laundry detergent targeting the mass-market consumer segment in Kenya and East Africa. With Kenya's soap market valued at KES 45 billion and growing 8% annually, there is strong demand for affordable, quality hygiene products.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Product Lines | 4 (bar soap, hand soap, dish soap, laundry detergent) |
| Daily Production | 5 tonnes (bar soap) + 3,000 liters (liquids) |
| Initial Investment | KES 12,000,000 (~$92,000) |
| Year 1 Revenue | KES 48,000,000 |
| Break-even | Month 7 |
02Production Process
Bar Soap Manufacturing
- Step 1 - Saponification: Mix palm oil (60%), coconut oil (25%), and tallow (15%) with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) in a jacketed reactor at 80-90°C for 4 hours
- Step 2 - Neutralization: Add salt to separate glycerin, adjust pH to 9.5-10
- Step 3 - Milling: Pass through triple-roll mill for smooth texture
- Step 4 - Mixing: Add fragrance, color, preservatives in sigma mixer
- Step 5 - Extrusion: Plodder machine forms continuous soap bar
- Step 6 - Stamping: Die press stamps logo and cuts to size (100g, 200g, 500g)
- Step 7 - Wrapping: Automatic flow-wrap packaging machine
Liquid Products
- Mixing: Industrial mixer blends SLES, CAPB, sodium chloride, fragrance, and preservatives
- Quality Check: pH testing (5.5-7.0), viscosity check, microbial testing
- Filling: Automatic liquid filling machine (500ml, 1L, 5L containers)
03Raw Materials & Formulation
Bar Soap Formulation (per 100kg batch)
| Ingredient | Quantity | Cost/kg (KES) | Total (KES) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palm oil (RBD) | 42 kg | 150 | 6,300 |
| Coconut oil | 18 kg | 200 | 3,600 |
| Tallow | 10 kg | 100 | 1,000 |
| Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) | 14 kg | 80 | 1,120 |
| Salt | 5 kg | 20 | 100 |
| Fragrance | 1.5 kg | 800 | 1,200 |
| Color & additives | 0.5 kg | 500 | 250 |
| Water | 9 kg | -- | 20 |
| Total per 100kg | 100 kg | 13,590 | |
| Cost per kg | 136 |
Suppliers
- Oils: Bidco Africa (palm oil), Pwani Oil (coconut oil)
- Chemicals: Henkel Kenya, Orbit Chemicals
- Packaging: Kenpoly, Statpack Industries
04Financial Projections
| Metric | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 48,000,000 | 72,000,000 | 108,000,000 |
| Raw Materials (40%) | 19,200,000 | 28,800,000 | 43,200,000 |
| Labor | 7,200,000 | 9,600,000 | 14,400,000 |
| Overheads | 8,400,000 | 10,800,000 | 15,120,000 |
| Net Profit | 13,200,000 | 22,800,000 | 35,280,000 |
| Net Margin | 28% | 32% | 33% |
Break-Even Analysis
Monthly fixed costs: KES 2,800,000. Contribution margin per unit (200g bar): KES 18. Break-even volume: 155,556 bars/month (5,185 bars/day). At 70% capacity utilization, break-even is achieved in Month 7.
05Regulatory Compliance
| Requirement | Authority | Status |
|---|---|---|
| KEBS Product Certification (KS 574 for soap) | KEBS | Required before sales |
| NEMA Environmental License | NEMA | Required for chemical waste |
| OSHA Workplace Safety | DOSH | Annual audit |
| County Trade License | County Government | Annual renewal |
| EAC Quality Mark | EAC Secretariat | For regional export |
Get the complete package
Equipment specifications, process flow diagrams, recipes and the business plan, bundled as one download.