New Amway Facility: Manufacturing Softgel Supplements

Amway announced today the opening of the first phase of a new state-of-the-art Nutrilite softgel production facility in Ada, Michigan.  A whopping 317,000 square feet, the new facility will be able to produce 3.5 million soft gels a day. So why is Amway investing $81 million into this plant for softgel supplements?

Why this facility is so important

The two most important aspects of our operations are producing high-quality supplements and ensuring our customers receive products when they need them.

– Michael Moreno, director of nutrition manufacturing operations for Amway in Michigan

Producing high-quality supplements that meet rigorous standards

Making softgels is a 48-hour journey through production and packaging environments that are carefully controlled to ensure the purity of the product.

Employees perform multiple quality checks at each stage of production – more than 25 quality checks in all. Amway also is required to meet stringent U.S. Food & Drug Administration Good Manufacturing Practices (CFR 211: nutritional supplements grade), and performs regular equipment validation testing as well.

Nutrilite produces up to 1.3 billion omega-3 softgel capsules per year – and every one is inspected by an employee.

Ensuring supplements are available when you want them

The new manufacturing plant is designed to respond quickly to changing market demands and reduce the time it takes to get orders to customers.

How our softgel supplements are created

 

Inspection and quality tests

We begin the manufacturing process of our Nutrilite Ocean Essentials Balanced Health Omega with a blend of sustainably sourced oils that meet our rigorous quality and purity standards from trusted Nutrilite suppliers.  Once delivered these ingredients undergo extensive quality tests before being transferred to our formulation rooms.

Creating the outer capsule

To create the outer capsule, we melt pure glycerin crystals with filtered water and pour it into long ribbons of gelatin, which will protect the nutrients inside.  We then quickly encapsulate the fish oil to preserve the quality of the oil.

Our encapsulation machines produce up to 1,000 soft gels a minute, which are then dried in tumblers in special humidity and temperature-controlled rooms.

Drying the softgel supplements

The most time-intensive step of the process, softgel supplements are tumbled for 24 hours in the drying room.

Visual inspection, etching

The soft gels then undergo several quality tests before being etched and moving to the finishing room.  It’s here where each soft gel is sorted and inspected before being transferred to our packaging room.

Packaging

One of the most technologically advanced phases of production is the integrated packaging line which can produce up to 130 bottles of soft gels a minute.

Infrared sensors ensure the right amount of softgels are placed in each bottle. After the caps are securely fastened, the bottles are X-rayed, labeled and packaged for shipment.

Manufacturing success: Meeting the global demand

The entire facility and manufacturing process is engineered to produce safe and quality softgels for customers around the world.

A growing percent of the population is seeking a supplement that is based in the best of science and the best of nature. This facility will help to advance our ability to meet that global demand while maintaining the utmost focus on product quality.

– Steve Van Andel, Amway Chairman