Case Study

Downtime, Hygiene, And Staff Safety Improved

Ingredients

Less Downtime & Easy Clean Room Hygiene

With over 240 manufacturing plants around the world, a global leader in providing quality ingredients for a wide range of industries was constantly looking to improve their operational efficiencies.

When their production plant in Valencia, Spain, encountered difficulties with traditional hose-clamp fittings regularly coming loose on a rotary sifter, they turned to BFM® fitting to provide a solution that would reduce downtime due to refitting and cleaning up spilled product.

The Challenge

A security screen sifter processing flour in a clean-room environment required regular disassembly and reassembly during process shifts. The hose-clamp connections attaching both the sifter inlet and reject outlet were difficult and time consuming to position correctly.

They also weren’t tightened properly by operators during the reassembly and the hose-clamps would come loose, causing product to leak out into the clean-room.

This was not only wasting valuable product but significant production downtime was being experienced for both clean-ups and re-fitting of the failed hose-clamps.

Traditional hose-clamped connectors installed at product inlet and reject points

The BFM® Solution

Both the inlet and reject outlet have been upgraded to a BFM® fitting system and the result has been impressive. Now, with the fast and easy snap-fit installation of the BFM® connectors, the security screen can be disassembled and reassembled frequently without production downtime to allow for operators to re-attach the time-consuming hose-clips. There is also no risk of the connections being installed incorrectly.

The added bonus of zero product leakage means the clean- room environment is easy to maintain and there is no more lost production time for clean-ups. The overall process system hygiene is also improved as there are no crevices for product build-up.

BFM® connector installed at product inlet and rejection points

Benefits Achieved

A significant reduction in production downtime as connectors are easier to remove and re-fit, and clean-up time is virtually eliminated.

There is no more product leakage in the clean-room and also no product build-up at the connection point so overall hygiene is improved.

Fitting the new BFM® connector is so much easier and faster than the hose-clips - always in the correct position every time.

Because no hose-clips are required, there is less risk to staff potentially injuring fingers when changing out standard BFM® connectors.

What the client said about BFM®

“We are really pleased with the reduction we’ve made in downtime in the flour line. Staff love the simplicity of the snap-fit connectors and it’s been so much easier to maintain the clean-room environment”

– Process Technology Leader, Valencia, Spain

Case Study courtesy of BFM® Distributor Masanes Servindustria (Spain)