The largest dairy products group in the world, Lactalis, has switched to using FaBLINE™, a food grade PTFE-lined hose from Aflex. The hoses produced by Aflex Hose, part of Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Solutions (WMFTS), are being used to transfer milk, yogurt, and fruit filling at production facilities in Serbia and Croatia.

Lactalis, which has 270 production sites in fifty-two countries, is using two long-life FaBLINE hoses that are six and a half feet in length and have a bore size of two inches after replacing a competitor’s rubber hose at its factory in Sombor, Serbia.

Engineering experts at Aflex have developed FaBLINE to meet the latest hygiene standards. The patented PTFE-lined hose, with standard 316 stainless-steel braid EPDM cover, will ensure efficient product transfer and handling with extended life over any rubber hose alternative on the market. 

With excellent flexibility and kink-free design requiring less force to bend than competitor smooth bore products, FaBLINE offers Lactalis a versatile hose solution throughout production processes.

SEEKING A BETTER OPTION

Aleksandar Rnjak, maintenance manager at Somboled, part of the Lactalis Group, says, “The hoses are exposed to CIP cleaning before production. After hanging the hoses on the fruit paste container, the hoses are rinsed and sterilized with steam at 280 degrees Fahrenheit (138 degrees Celsius) at 50 PSI in the line.

“The FaBLINE hoses have shown exceptional durability and flexibility, and the safety of the operators connecting the tank with fruit paste and the system on the yogurt line has increased.”

Lactalis was not satisfied with the hose life of the previous rubber hose it was using, because the cover wore out every few months. The hose is dragged along the floor, so WMFTS offered a Safeguard option. 

TOP PERFORMANCE IN TOUGH CONDITIONS

The FaBLINE hose now transfers milk and yogurt and it is regularly cleaned with CIP chemicals without any change almost a year after Lactalis began using it. Even if the outer protection comes away or gets damaged when the hose is dragged along the floor, the hose doesn’t lose its integrity, which eliminates the potential of premature failure.

At another Lactalis’ production facility in Zagreb, Croatia, it has switched to using FaBLINE hoses on a filling machine which handles yogurt and yogurt fruit filling. Lactalis is using sixteen long-life FaBLINE hoses that are 2.6 feet in length and have a bore size of 0.375 inches after replacing a competitor’s silicone rubber hose.

FaBLINE hoses provide up to twice the flow of similar sized convoluted delivery hoses, for a faster, more efficient processing solution.

UPDATED TO A NEW STANDARD

Marin Cosic, deputy head of maintenance at Dukat Dairy Industry Inc, part of the Lactalis Group, adds, “On the yogurt and fruit filling machine, the working conditions are demanding in terms of high sterilization temperatures, 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius), and exposure to acids and alkalis for washing the hoses through which the product passes. With the aim of avoiding the possibility of contamination of the product, we decided to install the FaBLINE hose on the machine for filling yogurt and fruit yogurts. The hoses turned out to be very good and long-lasting.”

The existing silicone rubber hoses from another company on a filling machine were outdated, and the risk of contamination was very high. When the maintenance team saw our hose samples, they were convinced of the FaBLINE quality. FaBLINE is kink-free, and constant dynamic movement is not a problem for our hose. The customer measured its existing connectors, so WMFTS was able to offer an exact match. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Alan Varelija is sales engineer for the Balkans region at Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Solutions. Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Solutions (WMFTS) is a world leader in manufacturing niche peristaltic pumps and associated fluid path technologies for the life sciences and process industries. WMFTS is a wholly owned subsidiary of Spirax-Sarco Engineering plc, with operations in forty-three countries. For more information, visit www.wmfts.com.

MODERN PUMPING TODAY, August 2023
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