₦airaland Forum

adaeze91:
Hi Ihart, i wish to join this bis, i hope u will be willing to mentor me any time i am ready. .

definitely...,

edoman2016:
How do you cope with selling your soaps on credit to sub distributors? I hope they don't owe you and pay as at when due?

the people I currently supply to, pay cash.

Great500:
I hart good morning. How much do you get ur cartons?What is the minimum(space)can one use for this project?And if you are to run on diesel continuously,can profit still be made?and what is the minimum capacity of diesel engine generator that can be used?

Like I have mentioned earlier, I get one carton for #70.

you can use a small space of about 8m by 8m for your machines, but you may need additional space for storage of raw materials and finished products.

I currently run on generator and there is still good profit. However, I have put every necessary thing in place to start using "NEPA". I currently use a 30kva generator. This is capable of powering the amalgamator/crutcher of 20HP using a star delta starter, the plodder and mixer.

bilal4riid:
following...

welcome, any question for us?

SoapQueen:
Melt and pour?

melt and pour is a different thing altogether. In melt and pour, a pre-manufactured soap base is used. The soap base is melted and some additives are incorporated into it before re-moulding. It is mostly used by small scale soap makers but it doesn't seem economical. There is another similar thing that is done in big companies. They use what is called soap noddles. Soap Noddles are also pre-manufactured soap base. In the case of soap Noddles, they are charged into the amalgamator and some additives like perfume and colour are then added to it before plodding, cutting, stamping and packaging. Following the ban on the importation of oil (i don't know if it has been lifted), many companies went into importation of soap noddles to save cost on production. In the two cases, there is no saponification stage, just finishing and packaging.

bugidon:
Nothing like that crap for south east

guy stop disgracing yourself here. that programme is running full time in Abia state. It has increased enrollment. A pity trader close to our house don't sell sugar again because, according to her, pupils and students don't patronise her again as they are fed in school. Before now, when they dismiss from school, they go home, buy sugar and drink garri, and then wait for night meal.

Great500:
Ok,I guess its in this process you add your oil blend?... will like you to touch on the addition of alcohol if it will not be a burden.

Transparency is something you can achieve using alcohol. To do that you need to be a little bit skillful. You can add alcohol during boiling or crutching. Alcohol is volatile, so timing is very important when you want to add it during boiling because the temperature is usually above the boiling point of the alcohol and thus, it will evaporate without achieving its aim. Likewise when you want to add it during crutching, time and when to add it is also important so as to achieve good result. To achieve the best result, there are certain additives you will need to add prior to using the alcohol. Though they may not cause transparency, they work in a synergistic manner with alcohol to improve transparency. More details about this is not what I will be writing here as they are mostly termed "industrial secret"

edoman2016:
Kindly talk about how you market your soap to target customers after the initial production at your factory. It is very important as well.

I have made mention of that in my previous comments but that is what I am going to use to wrap up my story...

in the next one or two comments I will wrap up my story. So I urge people to ask questions and express their feelings about this. Is there any question you have asked that I didn't answer? Please bring it forward. I will endeavor to give it a befitting answer. Thank you.

Great500:
Op do love you to elaborate more on your boiling process.

I really appreciate your questions. I can see youu read in-between lines and make in-dept observations. I use hot process. In hot process soap making, heat is applied. In my own case I use the heat generated from caustic dissolution to boil the soap. When caustic is dissolved in water, heat is generated and evolved. In chemistry we call it exothermic reaction (big grammar ). It is this heat that I harness to boil my soap. In doing this, I simply use the caustic immediately after dissolution. Extreme precautions are taken when doing this.

are these pictures what we can bring up to disprove Buhari? why can't we get pictures from bankers, doctors, nurses, lecturers, building engineers, architects, industrialist etc.

SoapQueen:
We have spoken before in the past. Remember? I called you from Warri! You are always so busy! Lol.

Tweak it like use only PKO and NaOH? If that's it, yeah. Coconut Oil has the highest foaming capability but it is pricey. Next best bet is PKO.

I took a break from bar soaps because it is too capital intensive for now. It will always be my one ,true love.

Congratulations Sir. Your girl is proud!

wait oh, is this J, the lady I met in Onitsha?

SoapQueen:
Yes Boss! Mixing oils especially pocket friendly ones boost qualities like foaming

when i saw your moniker, I was intrigued. I had to follow you and read all your comments and updates here. Don't mind me, I no dey use eye see or use ear hear anything soap

...but do you know that you can actually tweak your recipe to bypass oil blending and still achieve great quality in a cost effective manner?

adonai80:
Wow...wat a great inspiring message for an entrepeur.i stay in Onitsha,can u kindly give contact of the people you bought the machine or equipment.i want to start up on small scale of #200,000.i also want you to mentor me on the business.

I built the machines myself, go through the thread to see for yourself. With the budget you have, you can start something really tangible. What you will need is a small mixer, cutting table and some moulds. I can fabricate these equipment for you and with that I will mentor you.

...Story continues.

After I have learnt soap making and my machines are ready, I prepared myself for my first production. I got all the necessary raw materials, cross checked my recipe. Tested my machines over and over again to be sure they are working well. I boiled my first soap. I crutched my first soap, I plodded my first soap, I cut my first soap I was so so happy, everything came out well and my machines were able to withstand the load effectively and efficiently. Though I had little bottle necks here and there but I fixed them all. Its now time for marketing... This one is a different ball game all together. I had three strategies in mind,... in the next story I am going to discuss about my marketing strategy, challenges and the way forward...


picture: crutching my first soap.

Great500:
What do you use to bleach the PO?

we may have to discuss this in a live seminar. It is some common chemicals but Its not what I will put on the internet.

Great500:
Ihart ...do you have a delivery vehicle?... and how about the group seminar hw are you going to go about it considering the fact that people from different parts of the country will be interested?

Thank you so much for the questions.

No, i don't have a delivery vehicle for now. Like I have mentioned earlier, I just started on about 10% of my proposed capacity. That is to say my out is still small. As I scale up, I have to get a delivery vehicle.

About the seminar, I am still giving thoughts to it. I really want to have an interactive section with people, run some soap productions with different recipes, xray faults and remedies, display very simple and cheap tools to use for those who want to start in a small scale, among other things. I am still giving it thoughts because I want people to spend less on it,

...those who make the financial decision. that's right. Have you consider making the exercises task driven? like making each exercise assessable after a previous one is completed and then giving reward(monetary if possible) for every milestone that is achieved? This will encourage students to do more and even broadcast it to other students.

Great500:
ok,love your lab table and beakers .Do you use equal quantity of po & pko?

that's not my lab table, its the surface of my 50kg Camry table scale.

I don't use equal quantity of PO and PKO. PO is used in a greater percentage than PKO. The essence of blending PO and PKO is to improve hardness and foam. PO tends to give a hard soap but with less foaming ability while PKO gives the opposite.

However, you can always tweak your recipe to achieve whatever quality you want without blending the two oils.

Great500:
for how long do you bleach your po... do you use machines/chemicals for the bleaching.. or put on fire?(cz I knw using fire,takes quite a while).

I use chemicals. and it doesn't take long.



Picture: from left to right-palm oil, bleached palm oil and palm kernel oil.

Tbosch:
I feel glad after seeing this post. I have always had a vision of owing a soap factory. Please sir I would be glad if you could create a forum where you will teach and tutor those who are interested in this business.
And seminar too.
Thanks and may God continue to increase you.

I have gotten too many request on whatsapp about teaching people how to make soap. I feel we should have a live meeting to learn as much as we can, form a network/forum of soap makers where everyone will come to share their experiences and we learn. What do you guys think?

Why is emphasis made on parents, are they the ones teaching the students? Why not consider schools too? Don't you think an app will be better than a website?

...few tips on what i learnt in soap making:

i. PKO and PO are mostly used in soap making.
ii. PO is bleached before use
iii. PKO and PO are blended to improve quality
iv. Alcohol is used to make soap transparent.
v. Level of caustic, oil, water and other little additives affect soap hardness.
vi. Improving hardness improves transparency.
vii. With SAP value you probably have nothing to do with hydrometer.
viii. Using less material does not necessarily save cost neither does using more material increase profit(except for bulking materials). However more materials improves soap quality and appearance.

...learning about soap making was fun for me.

Since nobody was willing to teach me soap making, by January 2017, I prepared application letters and moved out to apply for Job as a factory worker in soap companies. This was to be a very good decision I made. I applied to Envoy oil, trans communication, Orange drug, Promatex, Planet oil, The Coopers, and several small small companies. My application went through in some and in some i was turned back at the gate. By the end of February 2017, I have worked in four companies and learnt as much as I could. That same February I took another job that lasted for about three months. There was something unique about that last job. The company was new just like my own and the MD boasted on how he was going to sell thousands of cartons in a month. I was eager to learn how he was going to pull the magic. If not for some side problems that came up, that man was really going to do wonders. I endured for about three months for things to set so i can learn and then leave. Unfortunately things were getting bad as time went on. His machines were faulty, I advised him on what to do but he didn't want to take my advice. I spent more that 60k within the period I worked for him, and he paid me 20k. Hahahahahaha, isn't that funny? Well, my mission was to learn and I learnt something far more than 60k. Then after, I left to hustle for money to complete my project and commence business.

My training saw me learning a lot about soap making. I learnt a lot about soap recipes, raw material assays, soap qualities, cost minimization, profit maximization, raw material sourcing, marketing etc.. When I eventually started mine, I discovered that, of all the things I have learnt, there are other things you will learn when you start practicing.

...at the end it was clear that there is a big difference between "soap making" and "soap making business".



pictures from some soap factories I worked in.

lovebless:
great job well done.
pls explain more on this, this picture make me to understand that the plodder is meant to shape the soap using the die/ eyelets.
considering the height of the box. it means after production, then cutting into bar then into plodder then cutting into smaller unit. better still pls help the production process.
thanks

The soap going to the plodder are not poured into "box" or mould. The picture with soap in a mould are small scale or what you may call lab scale productions I did to test my recipes and learn more things about soap making.

it is really frustrating to receive ban back to back. I just feel like not continuing but I won't give up.


...the next was about how I learnt soap making and what I really learnt. Soap making is bigger than what we may think. Its an art as well as a science. Later in the night I may update my story. Tomorrow we will talk and chat a lot. I just hope I don't get banned again.

...i want to thank those who have ordered for my product. For those who may want to place order, here is the deal; if you are within Isuikwuato-#1750 for 5 to 10 cartons. #1700 from 11 cartons upwards. For those within Umuahia and Okigwe- #1750 for 10 to 20 cartons and #1700 from 21 cartons up. Presently we don't have the capacity to take orders outside these places we mentioned but if you are outside those places you can still call for discussion and a possible special arrangement. Note, these prices are tentative and subject to change. Thank you.


We will continue our story today, so keep a date..

engrgordon:
Wow you are even my inlaw. can i visit your factory?

you are highly welcomed, just put a call across before coming.

QuitNotice:
Op, I am trying my hands on paper air freshener production, which is similar. I need your advice on how to market the product. Anyone else who has an idea can also help. The products is ready, but marketing is proving to be an insurmountable obstacle. Please reply

sorry my reply is coming late. I don't know much about this product and how you can market it, but i have given it a thought. The best bet is to market it as souvenir and campaign/advert stuffs. You can approach politicians to use it as a platform to enhance their campaign. You can also approach "about to wed" couples and those preparing for burial to use it as souvenirs. You can setup facebook page or an advert here to promote it. You can also approach all these printing press and gives them samples to advertise to those who come to print wedding and burial programmes as a souvenir. Promise them some good percentage of what ever business they bring to you. Thats what i think about this but if i take out time to study it, i may begin to see better marketing strategy. Goodluck as you try it.

henrymidas:
Great job. Please what did you add to that soap in the mold that makes it white.

nothing. It is the type of oil i used(PKO) that gave it that colour.