Snack factory ProMax case study

Simplifying surface cleaning for a snack factory

When a well-known luxury snack producer wanted to eliminate manual chemical dosing in its surface-cleaning stations, SEKO was chosen to deliver an automatic dosing solution

Such is the quality of its produce, this renowned business supplies many other household names in the snack food sector as well as selling its own range of premium crisps.

After an acquisition led to a £10-million investment in expanding its workforce and making plant equipment improvements, the producer commissioned a leading chemical company to provide dilution and dispensing units for its environmentally-sustainable surface-cleaning solutions.

Employee welfare drives dosing change

Operations management was concerned that, when cleaning floors, walls and other surfaces, the factory’s staff were manually dosing chemicals into spray bottles and mop buckets. Not only did this lead to frequent spillages which exposed cleaners to concentrated products such as bleaches and disinfectants, the inevitable excessive dosing and wastage and made monitoring and controlling chemical consumption extremely difficult.

With a duty of care to protect its 100-strong workforce, the company was not prepared to ignore the issue and tasked its chemical partner with providing automated systems to replace manual dosing of its food-safe chemicals.

“A user-friendly system to deliver safe, efficient dispensing and effective cleaning”

Chemical dosing, dilution and dispensing expert SEKO was approached to supply its most appropriate system. With a brief to specify user-friendly systems that could safely and efficiently dispense chemicals into spray bottles, buckets and scrubber dryers for the effective cleaning and disinfection of surfaces, SEKO recommended its wall-mounted ProMax system as the ideal solution.

A precise solution to maximize chemical efficiency

Designed for light-industrial applications including food and beverage production, the robust, reliable ProMax connects directly to a water supply and provides precisely-diluted chemical solutions with a single button push.

Including the latest in proportioning technology, ProMax’s patented hydrodynamic technology minimizes flow restriction and provides backflow prevention for effective protection against contamination.

The system’s dilution accuracy is driven by a range of metering tips – included as standard – that allow users to make the finest adjustments and maximize efficiency for a broad range of chemicals.

“Even a minor reduction in chemical usage adds up to a significant saving across multiple systems”

This made the system perfect for the customer, whose impeccable standards of hygiene meant that along with the factory being closed for one day each week to carry out a deep clean of all surfaces and machinery, general cleaning and disinfection was an ongoing process. For a plant using a significant quantity of cleaning chemicals, even a minor reduction would add up to a significant saving across multiple systems on the site.

Along with its space-saving design, ProMax’s quick and easy tool-free installation meant that disruption to normal operations would be minimal while the units were being fitted. The system’s modularity also allowed for the four-product version of ProMax to be effortlessly integrated alongside the existing system at any time – providing the customer with the scope for further expansion.

A single solution cuts costs and protects staff

In total, the chemical provider ordered eight ProMax systems for installation in application-specific points such as utensil-only sinks and floor-cleaning stations throughout the production line, providing full coverage across the 70,000 sq ft factory.

“Staff appreciate not having to lift bulk chemical containers”

SEKO Field Sales Executive Josh Thomas reported some excellent feedback from the end user: “The high concentration of the chemicals and the accuracy of our ProMax units was a perfect match, and it meant the customer was able to reduce spending on chemicals as well as cutting wastage.

“And because cleaners were no longer exposed to concentrated chemicals, site health and safety improved and staff appreciated no longer having to lift bulk containers.”

Low-maintenance system – high operational efficiency

The customer also confirmed that ProMax’s renowned ease of use – the operator simply turns a product-selector dial before pressing the dispense button – had reduced cleaning process time, meaning staff were free to carry out other duties.

Finally, the system’s robustness and durability meant that the units continued to perform without the need for regular maintenance – a ‘fit and forget’ solution in keeping with SEKO’s design philosophy.

Another example of a SEKO solution helping customers achieve long-term, cost-effective improvements in their daily operations. Find out how SEKO could help you by contacting your local office.