• Sector: Voedingsmiddelen
• Oplossingen: Banddesinfectie
• Techniek: UVC

Persoon Meat Factory

 

The roots of this company stretch back to the beginning of the last century, but this butcher's shop has since grown into a medium-sized factory.

 

Persoon Meat Factory in Lisse installed a UVC unit under the conveyor belt after careful testing in 2008. It was certainly an unconventional method of disinfection back in 2008, but by carefully measuring the results, Persoon was convinced that UVC works.

 

By installing a UVC unit under the conveyor belt, the bacterial level remains low throughout the day, i.e. during production. This is good for product quality and shelf life, which means that Persoon Meats can be sure they're delivering good products. Persoon has also implemented Bioclimatic disinfection solutions at other points in the process.

• Sector: Voedingsmiddelen
• Oplossingen: Banddesinfectie
• Techniek: UVC

Goedegebuur Meat processes 750 tonnes of beef into 300 different products every week. Ten percent of all that meat is destined for the Dutch market. The remaining 90% crosses international borders. In addition to the European Union, Goedegebuur is also increasingly exporting to the Middle East and the Far East.

Hygiene is vitally important

"Goedegebuur's success is due in part to the intelligent production process and our high-quality standard," says Mr. Gonlag (technical department). "We maintain hygiene throughout the production process. Prevention is better than cure, and we started using UVC disinfection to reduce any risk of infection in 2004. UVC light is short-wave, energy-rich radiation that combats microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses extremely effectively."

Robust, easy to assemble, easy to maintain

Mr. Gonlag: "We are now approaching our third generation of disinfection units. We purchase them from Bioclimatic, because this model is much more robust and user-friendly than the units we had. Cleaning at the production sites is always very thorough, and Bioclimatic's UVC units are perfect for that. They can take a beating, are easier to assemble, the bulbs are easier to change and if we need parts, they're shipped quickly.”

Mr. Goud, Head of Technical Services: "The day after we installed a new unit on a conveyor belt that hadn't previously been UVC disinfected, I had a happy quality manager on the phone. Within a few hours, the germ count had already dropped to almost zero. Another major advantage of UVC units is that you no longer have to stop the belts to clean them. Production can continue as usual, so the investment is actually quickly pays for itself."

• Sector: Industrie
• Oplossingen: Waterdesinfectie
• Techniek: UVC

Barbas Bellfires is a Dutch manufacturer that has been manufacturing top quality wood and gas stoves since 1976. The company develops and produces stoves in its own factory in Bladel. What is unique is that each stove is custom made. The entire production process from sheet steel to working stove can be tracked digitally. To make this happen, the factory has to run like a well-oiled machine.

UVC disinfection as a guarantee for the coating process

Bioclimatic provided UVC lights for Barbas Bellfires' washing stations to guarantee the quality of the lacquering process. The lacquer on the stoves has to be resistant to very high temperatures. To guarantee good lacquer adhesion, the stoves are first put through an alkaline degreasing process and cleaned at the washing station. In 2012, bacterial growth was found on the walls and other metal parts in the rinsing areas of the washing station. Barbas Bellfires couldn’t get the problem under control chemically. To eliminate the contamination risk, Bioclimatic recommended installing UVC fittings at the nebulisers in the washing stations and in the rinse basins. The quality of the water is checked on a weekly basis. Bacterial growth is now completely under control. It's a sustainable solution that aligns with Barbas Bellfires' philosophy.

The entire UVC installation cost around €6,000, which was recouped within a year. On average, the annual costs for bulb replacement amounts to around €850.

• Sector: Voedingsmiddelen
• Oplossingen: Luchtdesinfectie, Oppervlaktedesinfectie
• Techniek: Ionisatie, UVC

Dolium believes that great drinks should be shared around the world. Dolium The Dolium^® barrels are specially designed to make that belief a reality. Dispack-Projects is a young, innovative company. In 2013, they opened a new factory in the Antwerp port area, producing plastic beer and wine barrels under the brand name Dolium. Quality manager Fré Boeren was closely involved in setting up the line. One of his jobs was to produce kegs that are technically sterile. "The kegs have to be disinfected. We wanted to use as little water and chemicals as possible, because that damages the environment. It's also expensive to buy and dispose of chemicals."

Partnership with Bioclimatic

In the search for alternatives, Boeren landed on Bioclimatic, a company based in Nieuw-Vennep. "Bioclimatic has a lot of experience in disinfecting surfaces and air with UVC light and ionisation," says Boeren. "They also function as a good advisor. They were able to brainstorm with us about the best way to set up the line."

Disinfection is now done in two steps. The barrels enter the clean room on a conveyor belt. The barrels then pass under a UVC light for a few seconds to kill the microorganisms. The barrels are then sealed. The next step is filling the barrels with CO2. This is also done in the clean room. A UVC bulb disinfects the closure of the barrel and the filling head. The CO2 is then injected into the barrel so the barrels can't be contaminated during filling.

Brainstorming together

Boeren likes the fact that Bioclimatic gave him advice on how to set up the line. "Of course we have certain requirements that our barrels have to meet," he says. "And you are faced with different choices. The degree of disinfection is determined by the contact time, the distance between the bulb and the surface, and the power of the bulb."

Bioclimatic also handles air disinfection in the clean room. "We really didn't have to worry about that," says Boeren. "The equipment was connected and the air was immediately at the right values." Boeren sees it as an advantage that Bioclimatic supplied the equipment to disinfect both the air and the surfaces. "This gives us a single point of contact for the complete disinfection process."

Watch the VMT interview with Fré Boeren

Reliable

The line has been running for three years now and Boeren is still very pleased with disinfection technology. "I particularly like the fact that it is a reliable method. All kinds of things can go wrong with chemical disinfection. Employees can make mistakes in concentration and microorganisms can become resistant. When disinfection is done with UVC light, that's no longer an issue. Microorganisms don't build up resistance to UVC light. The light almost always works and that is visually visible to the employees. They can intervene immediately if the light is out. And then it's just a matter of replacing the bulb. Our technical department can do that on their own. And if there's a breakage, there are no shards of glass that could end up in the drums. The bulbs are actually protected with an HACCP Teflon layer. That means that if a bulb breaks, there will be no shards.