“The Swiss Army knife of dry ice production” – Subligel in an expert interview

Let’s start with a brief introduction: Who are you and what is your role at Subligel?
Together with Mr Romain Richert, I am a managing partner at Subligel. Together, we are responsible for the company’s further development and its day-to-day management

Could you briefly describe Subligel’s core activities and your mission as a company?
Subligel specialises in the production and supply of dry ice. That is our main task – and our passion.

When and why did Subligel start its dry ice business?
The beginnings of our dry ice production date back to the years 1994 to 1996. Since then, we have consistently developed and steadily expanded our expertise in this field.

How has the dry ice market in France developed in recent years?
At present, the industry in France has stalled somewhat – one might say: “It’s running on three cylinders”. Reasons for this include the relocation of production abroad and the closure of energy-intensive sectors such as foundries, which previously required large quantities of dry ice for cleaning core boxes. At the same time, however, we are seeing positive developments. Dry ice cleaning is becoming increasingly well-known and accepted in France. Even though we are not yet at the same level as our German neighbours, there are significantly more market opportunities today than there were ten years ago. New applications in particular, such as the deburring of plastic parts, are providing additional impetus.

What are the main sectors you supply with your dry ice products?
We supply companies in the automotive industry, the pharmaceutical industry and the plastics processing sector.

What trends are you observing in the dry ice industry? Are there any innovative or unusual applications of dry ice that you have seen recently?
Yes – the deburring of plastic parts is one of the most exciting new areas of application, which is currently growing strongly among our customers. Deburring involves removing excess material (known as burrs) that remains on plastic parts after the injection moulding process. Dry ice blasting offers a clean, efficient and gentle solution for this and is particularly suitable for precision components in the automotive or electronics industries.

You manage the entire process from production to delivery. What are the biggest benefits for your customers?
Having complete control over production and logistics from a single source offers decisive advantages. Dry ice is a very sensitive and perishable product – which is why punctual and precise deliveries are essential. Only in this way can we deliver optimum quality to our customers at exactly the moment it is needed.

Among other things, you use the ASCO BP425i dry ice machine – can you tell us more about how it supports your production?
We chose the BP425i because it is the only machine on the market that meets all our requirements: it produces 5-kg blocks in various thicknesses and also pellets in different sizes from 3 mm to 16 mm.
For us, this machine is a true multi-purpose tool – we like to refer to it as the “Swiss Army knife of dry ice production”.

What were the main reasons for choosing ASCO equipment?
For us, ASCO stands for ease of use, high efficiency and maximum flexibility in production. All our production machines are from ASCO – we currently operate five BP machines, four P600s and one EVO machine. This reliability and versatility have impressed us for many years.

Further information BP425i