Knowledge gap costs food processors
29 Oct 2008
A recent industry survey by Mono Pumps has revealed that the UK's food and beverage manufacturers are losing money by failing to exploit the potential for using pumps to automate processing and waste management duties.
In terms of general awareness of pump types, respondents initially appeared fairly well informed, according to Keith Driver at Mono NOV. However, when rating the different types of pump against criteria, such as product quality, hygiene, speed, viscous product handling, lifetime costs and mobility, they were unsure of the performance of different pumps in different areas.
Moreover, when asked about dosing or batching requirements, Driver said 60% of respondents replied that these formed part of their manufacturing process, yet more than half of these were unable to say which pump types are most suitable for this duty. Similar results were revealed for variable-speed transfer of materials.
When respondents were asked to state the most important factor in handling food and beverage products and ingredients, retaining product quality by avoiding shear and crush damage came top, three times as great as for hygiene.
The survey found that most manufacturers use manual methods, such as vats and trolleys, to move products such as meats, stews, slurries pastes and food wastes. Many manufacturers, said Driver, incorrectly believe that this process cannot be automated as they are unaware of the availability of pump designs that can safely handle such delicate, high viscosity materials.
In terms of general awareness of pump types, respondents initially appeared fairly well informed, according to Keith Driver at Mono NOV. However, when rating the different types of pump against criteria, such as product quality, hygiene, speed, viscous product handling, lifetime costs and mobility, they were unsure of the performance of different pumps in different areas.
Moreover, when asked about dosing or batching requirements, Driver said 60% of respondents replied that these formed part of their manufacturing process, yet more than half of these were unable to say which pump types are most suitable for this duty. Similar results were revealed for variable-speed transfer of materials.
When respondents were asked to state the most important factor in handling food and beverage products and ingredients, retaining product quality by avoiding shear and crush damage came top, three times as great as for hygiene.
The survey found that most manufacturers use manual methods, such as vats and trolleys, to move products such as meats, stews, slurries pastes and food wastes. Many manufacturers, said Driver, incorrectly believe that this process cannot be automated as they are unaware of the availability of pump designs that can safely handle such delicate, high viscosity materials.
