The filling machine is loaded with empty toothpaste tubes. These tubes are capped but are open at the opposite end to permit filling. Tubes are made from aluminum and lined with a thin lacquer coating that prevents the toothpaste from coming into contact with the tube itself. We find that using 100% recyclable aluminum tubes is not only environmentally responsible, but also protects the freshness of our natural flavor oils.

Our filling machine takes hold of an empty tube, cap end down. The filling machine first uses blower and vacuum pumps to ensure the tube is free of dust and debris. An optical device and tube spinner rotate the tube so that the front shows properly. A pump fills the tube with the toothpaste that was mixed in the make area. Finally, the tube is sealed closed, crimped, and stamped with batch information. This whole process happens at the rate of about 80 tubes a minute!

Filled tubes gently exit on a conveyor where two team members inspect them to make sure they meet our tough quality standards.

The automatic cartoner pushes each tube into a recycled paperboard carton with a folded insert (which has stories and letters about Tom's of Maine). A team member bundles the cartons into sets of six, which are then packed into recycled corrugated cases. The cases get an ink jet bar code sprayed on before the final step, where they are stacked on pallets using our ergonomic lift. Once an entire pallet (3600 tubes) has been made and packaged, it is set aside for delivery to the warehouse.

Employees who work with the filling machine are required to wear protective earplugs and hairnets. Employees frequently rotate jobs for variety, to prevent repetitive motion injuries. Every person who works the line at Tom's can call a halt to production for any concern they may have about safety or quality.