Product category:
Food and drink manufacturing: processing equipment
News Release from: Anderol | Subject: Synthetic food-grade lubricants
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 25 August 2006
Converting to food grade lubricants
saves 60%
Californian food manufacturer has converted exclusively to food-grade synthetic lubricants and reduces expenditures by 60% through consolidating inventory and simplifying maintenance procedures.
When synthetic food-grade lubricants were first introduced in the early 1980's, many food processors made the switch in an effort to improve production safety and quality However, due to limitations in tribology, many of these products did not perform as well as competing mineral oil-based products
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 24 Aug 2006 at 8.00am (UK)
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Given the excessive component replacement and extended periods of downtime after implementation, many companies converted back to their previous lubricants.
Since then, food processors have been apprehensive about using food-grade products.
Over the last two decades however, lubricant manufacturers have made great strides in synthetic food-grade chemistries.
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Today, not only are synthetic greases and oils safe for use in food machinery, they actually provide superior equipment component protection in comparison to their mineral oil-based counterparts.
These versatile, high-performance lubricants also provide food processors opportunities to consolidate inventory, increase food safety initiatives, and simplify maintenance procedures.
California Natural Products (CNP), a leading producer and co-packer of a variety of milks, rice, and nutritional drinks, recently converted its entire Savannah, Georgia facility to Anderol synthetic food-grade lubricants to great success.
With a strong commitment to quality, food safety, and customer satisfaction, CNP is constantly pursuing ways to improve operating procedures.
The company decided to transition to synthetic, food-grade formulations after maintenance records revealed its Savannah facility was using 20 different OEM-recommended, mineral oil-based greases and oils for its packaging equipment.
"When you are managing a maintenance program that includes 20 different lubricants, several inventory, incompatibility, and misapplication issues can arise," said Steve Zimbelmann, maintenance supervisor, California Natural Products.
"Modifying our approach was a natural step in streamlining our operating procedures." Zimbelmann had already worked with Anderol food-grade lubricants in CNP's Lathrop, California facility and was impressed with the performance.
Based on this experience, he contacted the leading specialty lubricants manufacturer to assist with the implementation of synthetic food-grade formulations in the Savannah plant.
After an extensive lubricant audit, Anderol specialists were able to formulate a new maintenance strategy that reduced CNP's number of required lubricants by 14 products.
"With our new maintenance programme, we are able to lubricate all of the machinery in the facility using only six Anderol food-grade lubricants," said Zimbelmann.
"Partnering with Anderol has reduced our lubricant costs by 60%." CNP is able to operate with a lean lubricant inventory due to Anderol's expertise in formulating versatile, high-performance greases and oils for food processing and packaging applications.
These multi-purpose lubricants provide excellent load carrying properties, exceptional lubricity under extreme temperatures, and tremendous water and steam washout properties.
CNP's maintenance procedure now consists of using Anderol 783 for its sleever, two different viscosity grades of Anderol FGH for its hydraulic systems, and three grades of Anderol PQ AA for the gearboxes in the facility.
"Anderol food-grade lubricants not only offer enhanced machinery performance but also peace of mind when it comes to food safety," commented Zimbelmann.
Transitioning to Anderol food-grade lubricants has also simplified CNP's maintenance procedures.
Now, using only six greases throughout the entire plant, inventory has been minimized and the likelihood of mislubricating equipment and incompatibility issues are minimal.
Since the integration, CNP has had no performance problems with the lubricants, and has passed its food safety Silliker audit.
Zimbelmann is currently lubricating the machines on a schedule consistent with OEM recommendations.
However, he plans to extend application intervals to further increase the company's return on lubricant investment since these synthetic products generally last three to four times longer than their mineral oil-based predecessors.
"Lubricant consolidation is an easy way to reduce operating costs," said Darren Lesinski, technical service manager, Anderol.
"California Natural Products is a perfect example of how food processors and packagers can use our high-performance lubricants to achieve this goal.".
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