Equipment design and construction plays a key role in product safety, and heat exchangers are no exception
Ensuring product safety is the number one priority for any food or drink producer, and a key aspect of this is avoiding contamination during production. Equipment design and construction plays a key role in achieving this, and the heat exchangers used for processes such as pasteurization and sterilization are no exception, said HRS Heat Exchangers International Sales and Marketing Director Matt Hale. Following is further explanation and tips from HRS.
There are three main elements to preventing contamination occurring in tubular heat exchangers: production quality, system design, and system maintenance.
When it comes to quality, you generally get what you pay for. If a quotation for a new heat exchanger seems to be much lower than others, be sure to check the specification, particularly the materials that are being used. Not only is the quality of materials important (such as the use of stainless steel), but so too is the quality of construction. Welding needs to be precise and joints (whether rolled or welded) need to be smooth to prevent product fouling or lodging of product, while also being strong enough to maintain integrity under pressure. Most manufacturers will be happy to arrange for you to see their production facilities and to provide information on their fabrication processes and standards.
The type of heat exchanger and its design capacity will determine the number of tubes. At some point during the design process, the tubes will need to be supported and attached to the body of the heat exchanger – usually at the ends. The tube plate (sometimes known as the tube sheet) not only supports the tubes, but usually provides a barrier between the product and service fluid.
In terms of design there are two main methods to prevent cross contamination between the product and the service medium (heating or cooling) due to leakage in tubular heat exchangers. The first is to maintain a positive pressure difference between the product and the service fluid, so that should a leak occur, the product will always flow into the service fluid rather than vice-versa. However, in order to be successful this pressure differential must be maintained at all times, and appropriate sensors and monitoring systems must be included in the heat exchanger. It also adds a further level of complication when designing the operating pressures for the equipment.
The second option is to introduce a physical separation between two different tube plates; one for the product and one for the service fluid. This means that in the event of a leak from either the service fluid or the product, the material flows into a safety container or other vessel and no mixing of the two materials is possible. Because this option relies on a physical barrier, no additional systems are required, making construction, operation and maintenance of the heat exchanger much simpler. The gap between the two tube plates will depend on a number of factors, including the food products being processed and the space available for the installation, but can be effective even when the distance is just 3mm. Depending on the materials being used and the type of situation that the heat exchanger is used in, the gap between the two plates may be shrouded (with appropriate drain or inspection ports) or open.
Finally, it is important to regularly clean, inspect and maintain heat exchanger equipment in line with the manufacturer’s recommendations. For example, if handling acidic or abrasive materials (such as fruit juice) more frequent inspection and cleaning may be required. Regular cleaning will ensure that drain holes etc. operate correctly in the event of a leak, while maintenance and cleaning will reduce the risk of leaks occurring and provide an opportunity for any repairs.
For more information, visit www.hrs-heatexchangers.com.
FDA has issued revised food safety standards for state regulatory programs that oversee food facilities.
FDA has issued revised food safety standards for state regulatory programs that oversee food facilities that manufacture, process, pack, or hold foods. These regulatory program standards, the Manufactured Food Regulatory Program Standards (MFRPS), were first issued by the agency in May 2007 and are updated every three years. The 2019 changes include updates to defined terms, new appendices and job aides, as well as updates to the current standards.
The agency established a committee comprised of officials from FDA and state agencies responsible for the regulation and inspection of food facilities to develop and update the MFRPS as a set of quality standards for manufactured food regulatory programs.
The regulatory program standards are comprised of ten standards designed to protect the public from foodborne illness and injury. These elements include the program’s regulatory foundation, staff training, inspection, quality assurance, food defense preparedness and response, foodborne illness and incident investigation, enforcement, education and outreach, resource management, laboratory resources, and program assessment.
The MFRPS are an important component in establishing the national Integrated Food Safety System (IFSS). The goal of the MFRPS is to implement a nationally integrated, risk-based, food safety system focused on protecting public health. The MFRPS establish a uniform basis for measuring and improving the performance of prevention, intervention, and response activities of manufactured food regulatory programs in the United States. The standards are designed to help federal and state programs better direct their regulatory activities toward reducing foodborne illness. For the full document, see 2019 MFRPS (PDF - 1MB); or see a Summary of Changes to 2019 MFRPS (PDF - 59.5KB).
The SPC-powered cloud-native quality intelligence platform earns the Frost & Sullivan 2019 North American Product Leadership Award.
Based on its recent analysis of the North American Statistical Process Control (SPC)-based quality intelligence platform market, Frost & Sullivan recognizes InfinityQS with the 2019 North American Product Leadership Award for its cloud-native quality intelligence platform, Enact. Powered by SPC software, the platform provides users with enterprise-wide data visibility and tailored strategic, actionable insights. The clean-sheet enterprise design features highly visual, customizable dashboards; unique grading; mobility; reusability; multi-lingual support; and flexible licensing.
"Enact helps companies aggregate and analyze quality data from all production processes in a single standardized format,” said Senior Industry Analyst Sankara Narayanan. “Organizations can look at the data from a site, regional, consolidated site, or division level, even all the way up to the corporate level.” Components of Enact's enterprise design that enables this visibility and intelligence include its centralized engine and unified data repository, he said. “This centralized engine connects every site to the same, singular database in Microsoft Azure to allow an organization to standardize across many sites and achieve consistency."
Enact has an intuitive, role-based dashboard that can be used without requiring configuration. The dashboard self-populates and is designed to display details relevant to specific users based on their roles, which include security permissions and relevance to their device. In addition, users can “favorite” the information that is of interest to them or information they use most often. The grading feature provides an actionable site metric for each critical element to keep track of ongoing operations and prioritize resources and investment allotments.
Enact also delivers unique mobility and responsiveness, the company said, explaining that to render an enriched user experience, the solution incorporates a responsive design and adapts to the resolution of all types of devices, such as computer screens, tablets, and smartphones, and its built-in, multi-lingual support makes it ideal for global, large-scale deployments. Enact's help system and interface is available in an expanding array of languages, and the entire system can be adapted for additional languages.
"Using InfinityQS's unique Excellence Loop philosophy, companies can transform their businesses by reducing costs, increasing profitability, and making better and quicker operational decisions. The concept of an Excellence Loop starts with enterprise visibility, with the ability to see data from various work areas and using that data to gain insights for optimizing operations," Narayanan said. "With its functionality-rich platform and focus on innovation, InfinityQS has clearly established a leading position for itself in the market."
Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that has developed a product with innovative features and functionality that is gaining rapid market acceptance. The award recognizes the solution's quality and the customer value enhancements it enables. The Best Practices Awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analyses, and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry.
The product was developed in direct response to requests from pest control operators, the manufacturer reports.
BUFFALO GROVE, ILL. – Xcluder, manufacturer of rodent and pest exclusion products, will be exhibiting its line of rodent-proofing products at next week's PestWorld event, including its new Xcluder Automatic Door Bottom. This rodent-proof, auto-retracting door bottom seal was developed in direct response to requests from pest control operators for a product that protects entryways in which an uneven floor or threshold would necessitate either a too-short seal that leaves cracks and therefore rodent vulnerability, or a flush seal that creates drag and makes the door difficult to open.
The Xcluder Automatic Door Bottom features an aluminum case surrounding a movable drop-bar seal. The drop-bar seal is actuated by a plunger that contacts the jamb as the door is closing, forcing the seal down against the threshold to create a secure seal. The rubber seal is filled with rodent-proof Xcluder fill fabric, the only exclusion product on the market tested and proven effective by the USDA/APHIS Lab, to provide dependable protection against both rodents and the elements. The drop-bar seal actuates on the hinge side first to prevent it from skidding along the floor while the door is being closed.
“We take pride in our extensive history of developing products that directly meet the needs of our PCO partners,” said Dave Colbert, Xcluder. “The Automatic Door Bottom is one more state of the art Xcluder product to provide an effective, long-term solution against rodents, and we’re excited to showcase our products and expertise at PestWorld this year.”
The acquisition of Chicago area McCloud Services, a $25 million firm operating in 10 states, greatly expands ServiceMaster's presence in the Midwest.
***Article was updated on 10/11, at 11:45 a.m. with comments from Chris McCloud***
MEMPHIS – ServiceMaster, parent company of Terminix, has acquired Elgin, Ill.-based McCloud Services, a $25 million firm that ranked #31 on the most recent PCT Top 100 list. The deal closed earlier this week, according a ServiceMaster spokesperson confirmed.
Founded in 1904, McCloud Services has grown to become a leading pest control provider in the commercial sector, particularly health care, hospitality, property management and retail industries. McCloud Services protects more than half of the nation’s largest food-related brands and services across a 10-state region with more than 200 employees.
Since 2008, McCloud Services has been led by CEO Chris McCloud. Earlier this year, longtime industry professional Stephanie Dickson was promoted to president of McCloud Services. Both Chris McCloud and Dickson will continue to lead the business in their current roles, alongside the company’s existing management team.
Greg Rutherford, president of Terminix Commercial, said in a statement, “We are excited about teaming up with Chris, Stephanie and the McCloud Services team. This partnership, based on innovative pest management in the food industry, will strengthen our position in the Midwest, and our ability to provide exceptional commercial pest management experiences.”
In addition to expanding its Midwest footprint, Terminix Commercial will benefit from McCloud’s expertise in providing next generation, data-driven platform for integrated pest management in the food supply chain, Rutherford said in the statement. “We intend to leverage the McCloud team to help us apply their innovative food industry practices across our global pest management system, leading the way to accelerate better and safer food practices and providing protection to millions of families.”
McCloud Services is a current stockholder and original Copesan Services partner. Chris McCloud served on the Copesan Board of Directors beginning in 2007 and concluding in 2018 when Copesan was sold to ServiceMaster.
McCloud Services will continue to operate under its current brand, according to ServiceMaster.
LR Tullius represented and acted as exclusive financial advisor to McCloud on the transaction.
As a company that has had five generations of family members work in the business, McCloud Services is unique not just among pest control firms, but all businesses. Only 3% of all family businesses operate at the fourth-generation level and beyond, according to the Family Business Alliance.
Without a next generation of family members lined up to continue the family business, Chris McCloud understood the importance of succession planning, and he had been contemplating the company’s next moves for several years. He told PCT he began having discussion with Terminix about six months ago.
In 2018, ServiceMaster acquired Copesan Services, an important consideration for Chris McCloud because McCloud Services has historically been one of the more significant contributors to Copesan national accounts.
“In our history, McCloud has often provided pest management services to a small local or regional food- related client and the client than grew into a nationally known brand. This has created a blend of national, regional, and local clients that are related in some manner through the supply chain,” he said. “Working with ServiceMaster allows us to continue our work with Copesan national clients and ensures stability for our people who serve these clients.”
Equally important to McCloud was identifying the best situation for McCloud employees and customers, and Chris McCloud said, “I am confident that ServiceMaster offers the best opportunity both.”
While Chris McCloud is confident the SeriviceMaster group will take the McCloud commercial brand to the next level of success, the decision to sell was not easy. “With over 115 years of history there is naturally a lot of emotion that goes with selling the business. My experience working with industry peers and other family business leaders really helped prepare me for this event. I’ve been fortunate to be part of a family business that will leave a lasting impact on its industry and that’s something my entire family takes a lot of pride in.” — Brad Harbison