Our process

Cleaning / Sorting / Assembling

Cleaning

• Pre-washing: At Navarpluma, as soon as the raw material arrives from the slaughterhouse it is placed in cold water with detergent. This allows it to be pre-washed and preserves the material.
• Washing: This involves a series of baths in water at different controlled temperatures, with the introduction of detergents and a series of rinses. The fully automated production lines guarantee the perfect reliability of the processes. Furthermore, Navarpluma has designed and developed physical washing and water recycling methods to ensure the highest efficiency in terms of both quality and cost control. Finally, Navarpluma has a modern water treatment plant, a clear commitment to maximum recycling in line with its commitment to protect the environment.
• Drying: After a spin process the feathers move to pressure-controlled steam dryers for processing at temperatures of up to more than 130ºC, thus guaranteeing perfect cleanliness.
• Cooling and Dedusting: The feathers are cooled and any dust that remains in the material after the washing process is extracted, along with any feather particles created from mechanical friction during the cleaning processes.

As a result of these processes, the material ceases to be an “animal sub product” and is instead classified as a “technical product”.

Sorting

There are different sorting processes to separate types and sizes of feather and down. These can be applied to either wet or dry material.

• Pre-selection: We sort the feathers to separate the material we will sell from the large feathers that will be used to produce agricultural fertiliser. These processes can be carried out with different tools depending on whether the material is wet or dry.
• Selection: The different components of the “original” feathers are selected so that we can sort them on the basis of a series of requirements.

Through the innovative design of machinery, automated control systems and constant adjustments to the many elements that influence quality and selection, Navarpluma has developed selection processes that are unique in the world of feathers and adapted to the characteristics of the different materials.

Assembling

Navarpluma mixes different products following the formulas created to constantly produce customised products for each customer. This process is accompanied by a new process for dedusting and “powering up”, designed to improve the filling power of the materials prepared for customers.

Over the last decade Navarpluma has innovated to improve the efficiency, reliability and quality of these processes.

New lines are to be added in 2016, a result of the research and development work of the team of young engineers in the projects department. These will represent an important step forward in terms of technology, processes and quality and will herald significant new developments in feather processing.