The Situation
Engineers working at a factory producing rice products for retailers across the UK, were experiencing issues controlling the amount of amount of nitrogen being used, with no feedback from the current 2/2-way valves. The valves were operating on a production line responsible for filling pouches with microwaveable rice.
The Solution
HAYLEY DEXIS invited their strategic supply partner, FESTO, to join them on-site at the customers’ facility to identify the best solution. Following a survey of the pouch-filling application to determine the exact requirements, the FESTO DN15 VZQA NC pinch valve with sensors was recommended. The customer accepted the recommendation, and the new valves were promptly delivered by HAYLEY DEXIS, before being promptly installed, to limit any downtime required on the line.
"THE RATE OF PRODUCTION ON THE POUCH-FILLING LINE HAD INCREASED BY 30%."
The Result
The results of a three-month trial period, following the installation of the new pinch valves, were very encouraging. The rate of production on the pouch-filling line had increased by 30%. The on-site engineers also reported that they had more control over the amount of nitrogen being consumed, allowing them to directly reduce operational costs. A financial saving has also been made in terms of fewer pouches now having to be scrapped. Due to the sensors now in-use, the staff time previously taken monitoring the valves has been reduced significantly, freeing-up vital resource.