Questions, questions, questions

Unless you’re on ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire’, being asked lots of questions can be irritating. But sometimes it’s the only way to get useful information

Unless you’re on ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire’, being asked lots of questions can be irritating. But sometimes it’s the only way to get useful information. And useful information is what any decent supply partner needs to provide you with, the right product solution for your Food and Beverage application.

That’s why a good supplier will take the time to ask you a handful of questions – to establish your operating environment, precise application and so on – and will then use that information to suggest, if possible, a more effective solution than ‘the usual’.

In the Food and Beverage industry, you may feel that FDA and USDA constraints severely restrict your options. But with Clean In Process (CIP), Steam In Process (SIP) and washdown cleaning regimes placing enormous strain on equipment and components, it’s often worth looking for alternative solutions for some of the problem components in your system.

During CIP, successive cycles of water at elevated temperatures, forced through the machinery at pressure, and acids and alkalis, not only expose rubber and elastomer parts to caustic materials but also cause rapid expansion and contraction, which can soon lead to system failure, leakage and loss of efficiency. And no-one wants aggressive, high temperature or highly pressurised liquids to leak out and come into contact with operatives.

In spite of this, some users are poorly advised or try to cut costs – and corners. However, simple changes for example in hose assemblies that are swaged instead of clamped, and are tested in a hydrostatic environment, ensure your system will remain completely closed. When you consider the inefficiencies of a leaky system, and the potential dangers and costs of dangerous or contaminating material escaping, is this a true cost-cutting measure?

In addition, traceability requirements should be met; ERIKS can also permanently etch a customer’s details onto the ferrule, so that the purchasing, manufacturing and raw material histories are fully traceable: for easier repeat purchase as well as easier fault-finding and rectification.

Hose connections are obvious weak points, but they are not the only ones. Hoses themselves can be a contamination risk if they are the wrong material for the application. But again, if your supplier asks the right questions they can ensure that you receive the most effective solution.

ERIKS, for example, has developed no fewer than 200 componds used in our hose, gasket and sealing products – many of which conform to FDA and EC standards for food and beverage use. So there’s sure to be one which perfectly matches your application, with no risk of premature failure and subsequent contamination. With its own test facility, ERIKS can also ensure before you buy that the recommended solution will meet your requirements.

Similarly, if you require a product to meet the demands of Steam In Process (SIP), a good supplier will be able to match your application to a cost-effective, reliable solution. One possible side-effect of both CIP and SIP is the loosening of ferrules due to constant expansion and contraction, with potentially disastrous consequences if high pressure, high temperature liquids or steam escapes. So ERIKS provides purpose-made clamps, which are not only highly effective but are also quickly and easily manually adjustable should a joint loosen.

The third aspect of maintaining machinery in a clean and hygienic condition is washdown using pressure washers and steam cleaners. If water at elevated temperatures is used this can also cause expansion and contraction issues similar to those caused by CIP and SIP. In addition, the high-pressure jet of liquid will quickly strip away lubricants. That’s why some users choose to allow components – chains, for example – to operate dry, but unless the correct component is specified correctly with associated seals and bearings, this leads to inefficiencies, potential breakdowns and a shorter operating life.

Once again, just asking a few simple questions can result in a more effective solution for a longer product life, less maintenance, less downtime, lower costs and greater profitability. So if you want the right answers, your first question is where to find the right supplier? Perhaps ERIKS would be a good place to start.