KM Tools builds AdBlue® tank farm for multi-million litre packaging plant

KM Tools Ltd has designed and built a new AdBlue® tank farm for leading aerosol and fluid manufacturer, Emissco. Featuring four 30,000 litre tanks and a custom designed pumping system, the new farm strengthens the commercial packaging and distribution of Yara Air1 AdBlue® in the UK.

Mark Brickhill, CEO at Emissco, explained the need for the AdBlue® tank farm: “We are the premium UK partner of Yara, the world’s largest manufacturer of AdBlue®. This means that we are responsible for the packaging and distribution of Yara Air1 AdBlue® to retailers, garage forecourts, motor factors and repair shops from our facility in Cheadle, Staffordshire.

“Ultimately, we process millions of litres of fluid every year to support the needs of the commercial and professional markets. To effectively meet this volume, we decided to invest in our fluid storage capacity, with the primary aim to process and package 16-20 million litres every year.”

KM Tools, a leading manufacturer of specialised machines, was contacted to develop a solution. The business had already designed a modular high-speed automated filling machine for 10 litre AdBlue® bottles. Based on this successful project and its engineering expertise, KM Tools was tasked with designing the AdBlue® tank farm to support Emissco.

Adrian Degg, Group Engineering Director at KM Tools, outlined the project: “Our engineering team designed the AdBlue® tank farm from scratch. To start with, we sourced four 30,000 litre tanks to increase Emissco’s AdBlue® storage capacity by 120,000 litres, which translates to the capacity of four full tanker lorries. Pipework was produced in-house at KM Tools, as we wanted to ensure that it could withstand the crystalline AdBlue® fluid and deliver a long service life. To further ensure this, we fitted seals throughout.

“A custom designed pumping system was matched with electrical controls to regulate flow. Emissco’s filling machine is fed directly from the storage tanks, ensuring reliable, high-speed operation. All in all, we were able to complete the project within 11 weeks.”

The AdBlue® farm has been designed to accommodate any production line expansions at Emissco, streamlining the addition of new filling machines. Each tank features separate pipework, which prevents cross contamination. KM Tools is a leading provider of machines to the automotive industry, so both the AdBlue® tank farm and filling machines meet the quality levels of equipment operated by OEMs.

Mark concludes: “The AdBlue® tank farm has been operational since August 2020, and we’ve already achieved our goal of packaging six million litres of AdBlue® in six months. This is incredibly important, as AdBlue® is a vital product for ensuring that diesel vehicles can continue to support essential services while complying to the latest emissions standards. With this new AdBlue® tank farm, we can provide up to 20 million litres of fluids every year, easily meeting the volume requirements of the domestic, commercial and professional markets.”

About KM Tools Ltd

KM Tools Ltd (KMT) specialises in manufacturing, maintaining and renewing specialised machines used for the manufacture of automotive components, with a specialist focus on emission control (Exhaust, CAT & DPF) product manufacture. It also specialises in providing precision assembly-line jigs and machines for the rail industry.

Its machines are used by leading brand manufacturers building parts for the OE market and the automotive aftermarket across the globe. Our manufacturing and service centre is based in a purpose built facility the Midlands from which it manufactures, services and rebuilds and supports hundreds of individual machines.

KMT can service, support and re-manufacture most machines from any original manufacturer, including one-off custom designs. It also develops tooling and workholding solutions such as bespoke automated, or semi-automated mandrels, jig and fixturing systems.