The cooling system includes a
lockable CIP cabinet, to ensure
food safety.
However, he soon discovered that
finding the right cooling system for
a company of his size was no easy
task. “It became clear that most of the
equipment suppliers were accustomed
to dealing with much larger firms
than ours; their proposals were totally
unsuitable for our size of operation,”
admits Marco.
“Some recommended systems which
required a large footprint or a 20ft
ceiling height; others could only supply
one or two parts of the solution and
expected us to source the rest and
integrate it ourselves; while some
showed us systems which were far
too complex and sophisticated for
our operatives to use,” adds Greg.
“We don’t have the luxury of a team of
engineers on call 24/7, so any system
we chose had to be simple to operate
and straightforward enough for our
mechanics to take care of.”
Only HRS Heat Exchangers was able
to meet every one of Ready Foods’
requirements. They supplied a turnkey
cooling system, including cleaning-inplace
capabilities, which is simple to
operate and boasts a small footprint.
It has revolutionised Ready Foods’
productivity.
“It used to take us three hours to chill
the marinade, but we are now able to
cool it in just one hour. We’ve been able
to keep up with our client’s demand,
even at peak times. On a five-day-aweek
basis, we can hit 200,000lbs,”
says Marco. “The HRS cooling system
has evened out the playing field by
allowing a medium-sized company
such as ourselves to compete with the
larger firms. For us, this is 21st century,
advanced technology.”
T R A I N I N G
TRAINING KIWIS TO
FLY INTO INDUSTRY 4.0
www.foodtechnology.co.nz 27
Internationally there has been an
unprecedented global acceptance of
the Industry 4.0 concept. Driven by the
highest industrial technology provides,
ifm New Zealand has taken the initiative
to provide electrical engineering training,
covering the Industry 4.0 technology
advances, connectivity and integration
into existing PLC controlled systems.
The company has now trained more
than 250 local engineers throughout
the country and supported in excess of
100 installations over the last two years
in every sphere of industry. It’s worth
noting the main group has been food and
beverage plants involving automation
projects with some of the biggest names
in New Zealand industry.
By working with pure digital signals, and
having the capability to both provide
PLC control and SAP monitoring, the
days of traditional ‘instrument loops’ and
resulting inefficiencies are fast becoming
yesterday’s technology.
Call one of the ifm trained automation
engineers, located around the country for
more information. They are ready to listen
to your needs and offer practical, cost
effective solutions.
Contact ifm 0800 289 436 or see the
website www.ifm.com/nz.
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