If we consider that Preventative Maintenance is a very important practice in the manufacturing industry, this practice is of paramount importance in the Food Industry.
A breakdown in the middle of the production of food processing could be a disaster, with loss of products, contamination, loss of production time and delays in the delivery of orders.
If the product require refrigeration and have been trapped in the production line for more than the critical time to room temperature, then you don’t have more option than dispose the semi-process product.
The product that became off in the production line will contaminate the containers and conveyors that are involve in the movement of the product in the production process.
A loss of production time is evident and the unwanted delay of deliveries can make some customers look for new providers.
Preventative Maintenance not only will save you money but will increase the trust of your customers, deliveries of the right product, with the best quality at the right time.
There are four critical components in the food industry that can make of your days a nightmare if you don’t take care of their reliability. I am not mentioning all your food processing equipment that also need a proper Preventative Maintenance of machinery in a regular basis.
Power and basic service:
Electricity:
All your electric components need a regular maintenance, for reliability and safety purpose.
A broken switch could be a death trap that can cost you a lot of money, in addition of a highly unwanted incident.
Water which is used in many food process and cleaning, can make the electric components dangerous, so it is important to keep constant check of electric boards and switches. They must be isolated from water and products that can create serious problems,
Gas:
Used in many cooking process, gas can create problems if the gas line and components don’t receive the proper maintenance in regular basis. Leaking and the risk of fire and/or explosion can have disastrous consequences. (By law you must keep a record of gas components maintenance)
Water:
Highly required in most of food process and cleaning.
Check regularly your pumps and water lines for leaking or pumps noise. The longer the time you leave your pump running with an unusual noise the biggest the cost to repair it.
Air:
The seller of your compressors will have a maintenance schedule for your air compressor. Keep attention that all the regular maintenance of your compressors are completed in a regular basis.
Your compressor has “the ability” to stop your entire production. Think of how much money can cost.
Material handling equipment:
Conveyors:
Conveyors are the most popular piece of equipment in any food processing plant. The maintenance of them is simple and require attention to safety, a reliable emergency button, the proper tracking and some attention to the driving components, motor and gear box, and conveyor belt. Good lubrication of bearings and cleaning it is essential.
Wrapping machine:
Keep all wrapping machineries clean and lubricate them periodically, this simple practice will increase their reliability notoriously.
Packaging and labelling machinery:
Most fabricator will advise you regarding the proper maintenance of your packaging and labelling machineries.
There are many components that require regular maintenance in your packaging and labelling machineries. Keep a record of the time when this maintenance was completed and don’t left these basic equipment without the proper regulars maintenance.
Metal detector and food safety:
Contamination is the last news that you want to receive from an upset customer.
Keep a record that prove that your Metal Detector is working if possible make a test every single day before start production.
Food safety require just common sense. Cleaning and highly hygienic process will keep your products safe.
For more recommendations and proper Preventative Maintenance advice in your Food Processing line, you can contact.
Maintenance Engineering Solutions – Adolfo on 04 1703 5214
