“THE quality, longevity and lifetime cost savings of Watson Marlow’s locally available Aflex Pharmaline N hoses has been confirmed with an installation at a national Brazilian dairy company in the production of a classic national cheese” said Nick Moraitis, Business Development Manager at Watson Marlow Fluid Technology Solutions in Johannesburg.
Produced by Aflex Hose, part of Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group, (WMFTG) the hoses are being used in the key milk producing region of Minas Gerais to cut lifetime costs and increase reliability of ‘requijao’ production, a spreadable variation of cream cheese. The soft texture cream cheese is pumped through filling nozzles into 250mℓ glass jars at the dairy’s filling area.
Until recently, the filling process utilised an established brand of food-grade EPDM rubber hose assemblies for this filling line. However, the dynamic, rapid and repetitive filling action, together with daily clean-in-place (CIP), resulted in these hose assemblies not standing up to the rigors of the application. Typically, these hoses were rupturing internally, particularly in the areas where the end-fittings were crimped into the hoses. This meant that hose assembly changeouts were required at four to six month intervals resulting in not only additional hose costs but also in costly downtime.
“Raphael Zaupa, the WMFTG Brazil Sales Engineer who supports this client, suggested that the customer install Aflex FDA certified Pharmaline N hose, which has a fully CIP resistant PTFE internal liner. The Aflex hose offers more than 15 times the flex-life of competitor hose products and a much greater resistance to kinking. These attributes were key in the customer’s decision to change their hose selection. The customer also benefits from Aflex’s industry leading 24 month manufacturer’s warranty as standard, which backs up the product quality and gives customers reliability and peace of mind for a minimum of two years” explained Moraitis.
“While the Aflex product’s upfront price was higher than the competitor’s, the client realised that within 18 months he would be saving money on not only on direct hose costs, but once indirect costs such as maintenance and production stoppages are factored in, the higher quality Aflex solution is a more reliable, longer lasting and significantly better value product choice” he concluded.
For further information or to arrange a plant assessment, contact: Nick Moraitis Email: Nick.Moraitis@wmftg.com
