Adding value to the food and
beverage supply chain
The food and beverage manufacturing industry is one of the world’s largest industrial sectors.
Here, Meirion Buck, Senior Design and Technical Manager at ABB for Adaptaflex, explains the
valuable contribution of effective cable protection in the drive to add value to the supply chain.
With a growing population the demand on
the food and beverage industry is greater
than ever before, which has subsequently
been felt throughout the supply chain.
This means that processing food products
efficiently and hygienically, and ultimately
providing protection from unforeseen
down-time is also more important. With
the journey from ‘farm to fork’ expected
to be as quick as possible by the consu-
mer, it’s easy to see why these factors
pose a substantial challenge to the food
and beverage industry.
Hygiene and stringent health and safety
standards are a core part of achieving the
required efficiency and security throu-
ghout the supply chain. After all, if it’s
compromised at any stage, down-time,
wastage, and final productions figures are
all going to be impacted; equaling additio-
nal and unforeseen cost.
Considerations need to not only cover raw
materials and personnel, but all of the
equipment which includes electrical parts
and cables. Failure of these components
within challenging environments – from
sub-zero to elevated temperatures –
could seriously impact production, mea-
ning that those operating in the food and
beverage industry are fighting a constant
battle to ensure process equipment ope-
rates as efficiently, safely and hygienically
as possible, without compromising critical
power and data connections. Furthermo-
re, as systems become more integrated,
the value of data and its role in the pro-
duction and distribution process is only
set to rise.
Despite being a significant part of the
processing line and data management,
cables and fittings, in process areas, com-
monly only have limited, if any, protection.
Given the volume of mechanical process
equipment involved in the food and
beverage industry, such as pumps and
motors, combined with the shift towards
increased automation, there are often
thousands of power and data cables that
need to be protected from failure due to
potential ingress, chemicals, industrial
cleaning agents, and other physical and
thermal stresses.
Regardless of the choice of protection
used, they are still susceptible to bacteria
growth. As a result, these systems require
continual wash-downs up to five times a
day. Not only does this take time, and ul-
timately mean production down-time, but
in reality it only temporarily reduces the
threat of infection. Plus, regular and conti-
nued wash-down increases the likelihood
of liquid ingress and material corrosion,
which can have an even greater impact
on production and ultimately the supply
chain. As such, manufacturers experience
regular periods of equipment down-time
to cater for repairs or replacements; all of
which will come at a cost, both in terms of
production time and new materials.
Risk of contamination is ever present for
manufacturers and companies throu-
ghout the supply chain. As we have seen
in recent years, it takes just one bacterial
infection to eradicate decades of consu-
mer trust, crippling a company’s finances
in the process.
Keeping return on investment at the fore,
applying a more reliable and effective
conduit solution to make future savings,
whilst providing a potentially more secure
method of bacterial protection, makes
sense for food and beverage manufactu-
rers. There is now a conduit system that
will enhance current processes offering
the benefits of reduced downtime and
potential reduction in contamination risk.
The solution created with technology
partner BioCote, is to integrate anti-mi-
crobial protection in to a new generation
of liquid tight conduit. Featuring a smooth,
food grade DuPont Hytrel® thermoplastic
jacket, the conduit is complimented by, an
industry first, single piece liquid tight 316
Stainless Steel fitting. The new system
poses a viable alternative to other types
of conduit systems and is perfectly suited
for the protection of processing equip-
ment and surrounding process area.
The anti-microbial additive contains
inert ionic silver, meaning it doesn’t react
or change the appearance of the final
product, additionally the additive won’t
diminish in extreme temperatures, such
as steam or deep freeze. Crucially, the
anti-microbial protection will not wear
off or wash away, as it is more than just a
surface coating, in that it is incorporated
to form an integral aspect of the product
during manufacture. Most importantly,
the bacteria cannot survive contact with
the silver ions in the anti-microbial pro-
tection, because it in effect turns off the
bacteria’s basic properties.
The science behind anti-microbial
protection is fascinating. The silver ions
on the surface of a material treated
with anti-microbial additives bind with
microbes they come into contact with and
irreparably damage them, disrupting their
normal cell function, stopping them from
reproducing and finally resulting in the
death of the cell.
Tests completed by BioCote, see the
level of bacteria reduced by up to 80% in
the first 15 minutes and 99% in just two
hours. Based on the work and materials
BioCote provided to ABB, in addition to
in-house testing, it’s been proven that
the effectiveness of the anti-microbial
treatment does not degrade over time,
throughout storage, or during repeated
wash-downs.
Ultimately, the journey from farm to
fork needs to be as efficient as possible,
an effective conduit system can offer
enhanced security for cables and fittings
whilst maintaining the highest possible
standards of hygiene across all areas of
the food production environment.
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