Investing in sustainability and productivity
Laboratoires Biologiques ARVAL SA are an internationally successful development and production company based in Conthey VS. As an industry-leading, independent family business with a long tradition, we develop and produce authentic Swiss cosmetic products to the highest standards for internationally successful brands in the field of personal care. Many internationally successful Swiss brands have their roots at ARVAL.
To mark its 70th anniversary in 2022, the company gifted itself a number of extensive infrastructure and sustainability projects.
PRODUCTIVITY
Given the changing needs of consumers and ARVAL’s clientele, these investments in productivity and sustainability are particularly important for the further development of Laboratoires Biologiques ARVAL SA.
An extension was built to optimise the filling and packaging processes and, at the same time, to boost capacity and productivity. Here, a major emphasis is placed on the aspects of quality and flexibility, for which the company is renowned.
From the outside, the changes are fairly inconspicuous, as much consideration was given to the location itself and the existing architecture of the company building. Inside the building, however, the improvements and enlargements all round are very evident.
A new zone concept with controlled ventilation, supply air treatment (clean air) and air conditioning of the departments make for optimum production conditions – an important aspect for the quality of the products and for the staff's health and wellbeing.
By opening up another floor and remodelling the logistics area, a better flow of goods is made possible along with increased transparency and efficiency throughout the entire process.
New, more-highly automated equipment boosts the company’s productivity in both quantity and quality, offering greater flexibility at the same time as improving process reliability. All the existing machinery was retained in its entirety and integrated into the new structures.
SUSTAINABILITY
In 2022, the company also invested in the production of renewable energy with the launch of several sustainability projects in all areas of the company – from purchasing to production processes and, of course, in product development itself.
Solar panels installed on large areas of the roofs of Laboratoires Biologiques ARVAL SA, for example, now supply more than 100% of the company’s previous energy needs (oil, gas and electricity combined).
This allows the oil and gas to be replaced as energy sources step by step. In future, it is anticipated that heat pumps and energy recovery systems will not only consume less energy, but will also recover as much of it as possible thanks to modern technology.
In this way, the company is meeting the federal government’s objective of both saving energy and generating sustainable energy – also going a significant step further.
All this puts the declared goal of the carbon-neutral manufacture of sustainable products within reach.
The products themselves can now also be formulated more sustainably from the ground up thanks to investments in development and analytics. The new, innovative concepts serve as the basis for the success of partner customers – after all, the issue of sustainability has long since arrived in the luxury segment as well.
With its slogan “Next Level Swiss Cosmetics”, ARVAL is placing an even greater emphasis on know-how and sustainability, always aiming to achieve an optimum balance between natural and synthetic, between efficiency and compatibility, and between pleasure and responsibility.
For daily luxury with a clear conscience.
With the extension and remodelling work completed, the actual restructuring can now begin: in 2023, the processes will be adapted to the new conditions and optimised to ensure that the advantages of the new infrastructures and facilities also benefit the partners.
With all these innovations, the company is once again demonstrating its adaptability and commitment to progress – confirming that it is still a pioneer in the industry.
Laboratoires Biologiques ARVAL SA
Thomas Früh, General Director