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Canyon Europe
Canyon Europe Ltd, one of the leading companies in the European market for trigger sprayers and dispensers, has launched two new versions of its T95 model onto the global trigger sprayer market
Canyon Corporation prides itself on being a highly innovative organisation with a keen awareness of the environmental and social impact it has on society and the wider world. Tetsuya Tada founded the company in Japan when he invented the world’s first trigger sprayer in 1959 and this ethos of innovation has driven the organisation to create and deliver products that are functionally outstanding, highly reliable, artistic, economic and safe.
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Canyon Europe was established in 1987 in Belfast to provide a closer and more personal service to Canyon’s global customer base. The company is a subsidiary of the Japanese company Canyon Corporation — an organisation which was founded on the principle of ‘helping customers be successful’ and this philosophy continues today.
The European site is a fully integrated production, research & development, and customer service facility designed to meet client needs. Having total in-house control of fully automated injection moulding and assembly processes ensures maximum flexibility and support for customers in a market which is constantly changing and evolving. A focused enthusiasm in delivering excellence in design, product and service has enabled Canyon Europe to become the leading UK manufacturer of trigger sprayers and pump dispensers and a major player in the global market.
Innovation is a key driver for Canyon Europe and has led to the establishment of a state of the art Centre of Excellence to provide tailored solutions and develop new products in response to market needs in Europe. Continuous communication and a focus on adding value for the customer have enabled Canyon to develop products in line with customer requirements both on a bespoke basis and for the mass market.
High volume commodity manufacturing in Western Europe has suffered escalating pressures due to significant increases in raw materials and energy prices and the tremendous impact of low cost competition in the developing countries. Canyon Europe trades in a highly cost sensitive market, a market which demands innovation through increased environmental awareness, new legislation and the need for shorter lead times. Other factors include increased flexibility and customisation of products to reflect regionally sensitive customer requirements. Previous innovations have included customised shrouds, an upside down sprayer and various foam options.
Child Resistant Closures
There is now a requirement in some European countries to have effective child resistant closures for improved safety in the home. Through Finite Element Analysis, Canyon Europe has developed an innovative Lock and Latch system to create a child resistant closure (CRC), which meets market demands and is certified to ISO 8317 standards — the internationally recognised benchmark. Canyon began development of the child resistant closure in 2005 in response to trends emerging within the European market for trigger sprayers. The first customer to place an order for Canyon’s CRC is based in the Netherlands.
In 1981 the Netherlands launched a programme to tackle accidental poisoning, aiming to introduce legislation to require child resistant packages for household chemicals and pharmaceuticals. By 1988 hospitalisation from poisoning had decreased by 50%. The Netherlands now has the lowest child-poisoning rate in the World Health Organisation European Region. The history of child resistant packaging began in the United States in 1970.
The “Poisons Prevention Packaging Act” (PPPA) provides that products which can be harmful to children must be packaged in a child resistant way. A number of accidents involving household, gardening and automotive chemicals as well as accidents involving drugs and other hazardous substances initiated the process of legislation, as these incidents often had traumatic consequences for both children and parents. It is certainly due to that fact that today, more and more products are sold in child resistant packaging.
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Under the PPPA standardised testing procedures for child safe packaging were fixed in order to guarantee their functional reliability. Many other countries followed the American example and established similar standards which differed mainly in size and composition of the test groups, in length of the tests and sometimes in the analysis procedure. ISO 8317 (2003) is the international standard for reclosable child resistant packaging.
It applies to chemical-technical products as well as to pharmaceutical products. As most child safe packagings fall into this category, ISO 8317 (2003) is the most important standard. The testing comprises two tests with children aged 42-51 months (one before and one after demonstration) and a test with adults. Only packagings that have been considered child resistant in tests with infants as well as convenient for elderly people according to the standards meet ISO 8317 (2003).
Canyon’s CRC trigger has been developed with a dual protection mechanism – a locking closure which cannot be removed, and a locked on/off spray nozzle which prevents any unintentional spraying. The CRC is available with spray, spray/jet or foam nozzle options.
Irradiation resistant trigger
Canyon Europe was approached by companies in the UK and Germany in order to find a suitable trigger for use with sterile cleaning liquids that will function effectively in a medical or pharmaceutical environment. To achieve this, the sprayer must be subjected to high levels of gamma radiation in order to destroy any infection and eliminate air contamination to the fluid when the sprayer is in use. This harsh environment is known to degrade polymers and may affect the functionality of critical components.
In partnership with the Polymer Process Research Centre in Queen’s University Belfast, raw material suppliers and targeted customers, Canyon Europe has overcome this significant hurdle. The work carried out has produced an innovative design of the pump engine which means that there is no air contamination to the fluid and no component material fatigue at these high radiation levels. Sterile cleaning products are used on surfaces, equipment, instruments and utensils in environments such as cleanrooms and hospitals and packaging for these products must ensure that the sterility of the contents is preserved throughout use. This new model is particularly suitable for companies which currently use “bag in a bottle”
Continued Success
Canyon Europe’s delivery of innovation and continuous improvement, combined with a willingness to listen, to be flexible, to react quickly and provide solutions for customers has been vital in setting the organisation apart from the competition. The direct result of this work has been the building of excellent relationships with major multi-national partners, not only on a European front but also on the global stage. These partnerships have resulted in Canyon Europe doubling its production capacity within a 12 month period which is a major achievement in itself.
Innovation and continuous improvement have been the catalysts for Canyon Europe’s success. The company has developed an understanding of the market and the current trends and expended considerable resources to create a skilled, capable and dynamic workforce. Using research & development and knowledge transfer, Canyon has developed a range of innovative advances and solutions to satisfy customer demands and ensure that they are at the leading edge of the global trigger market. packaging for their sterile cleaning products. By using Canyon’s non-vented trigger, the chemical company can remove the “bung” – the component used to seal the bag – thereby removing one of the components in the assembly process and reducing overall production costs.
Email:sales@canyoneurope.com
Website: www.canyoneurope.com
