As one of the world's largest food manufacturers, Nestlé operates plants in 77 countries, where maintaining high standards of hygiene and safety is essential.
At one of its South African facilities, concerns over flour leakage on a wafer production line prompted the engineering team to seek a more reliable containment solution. They selected the industry-leading BFM® fitting system to address the issue and improve process integrity.
The problematic connections were located between a vibrating feeder at the base of the silo and a screw feeder, and between the screw feeder and a drum dryer. These flexible connectors, which transferred cake flour to the wafer production line, were constructed from silicone rubber tubing and secured to the pipework using hose clamps.
Despite the maintenance team's best efforts, flour continued to leak from the connection points, even after double clamping was applied. As a result, powder accumulated on surrounding plant surfaces, while fine dust became dispersed throughout the production environment.
In the facility's ATEX-rated environment, this represented a significant concern, as the escaped flour dust could act as a fuel source for a secondary dust explosion.
The constant need for powder cleanup in the general production area was unsustainable, and the explosion risk the dust presented needed addressing immediately.
Nestlé's global compliance standards are comprehensive, and the BFM® fitting system has already successfully undergone its stringent approval process for use in Nestlé plants worldwide. So, the Nestlé ESAR (East and Southern Africa Region) engineering team reached out to the local Authorized BFM® Distributor, Capack Pty Ltd, for assistance in upgrading their wafer production line connections to the industry-leading BFM® fitting system.
The sales engineers at Capack worked closely with the Nestlé ESAR team and recommended installing BFM® fitting's blue-band Seeflex 040E connectors at both problem locations. To maximise the long-term benefits of the system, they also advised modifying the pipework as part of the installation.
“The pipework at the base of the silo was tapered and adapted to accommodate the BFM® spigots, with a slightly tapered BFM® fitting then installed above the screw feeder,” explained the Capack team.
“For the twin outlets transferring product from the screw feeder to the drum dryer, the two upper connections were unnecessary, as only a single compensator was needed to absorb vibration during transfer.”
“The pipework was redesigned to incorporate just one flexible connection. This will deliver long-term cost savings by reducing connector wear and tear, while also lowering replacement costs, as only one connector now needs to be maintained instead of three.”
The internal seal of the snap-fit BFM® fitting connectors now provides a 100% airtight connection, preventing any flour from escaping into the surrounding plant area. This transformation has significantly decreased the presence of dust in the environment, so it’s better for staff, and the risk of an explosion in the plant has been dramatically reduced.
"We're impressed with how much cleaner and safer the plant is since installing the BFM® fitting connectors,” said the engineer at Nestlé ESAR. “The ATEX risk has been dramatically reduced, and the overall production process remained unchanged.”
The snap-in fitment of the BFM® fitting connectors is also proving to be exceptionally user-friendly, a significant improvement over the time-consuming hose clamps previously used.
"Staff members also appreciate the ease of removing and reinstalling the connectors for cleaning, in contrast to the old and cumbersome hose-clamping system.”
Want to see how the BFM® fitting system can help improve your plant's health and safety? Contact us today and we can show you!