The constant advancement of technology and the continuous development of our industry requires rethinking and redefining systems. Wojciech Gidel, President of the CleanAccess Management Board and Paweł Kubala, Director of Food Safety and Health, talk about optimising costs, time and meeting the highest standards of hygiene and safety in food production. Spoke by: Karolina Szlapańska
Why do washing systems need to be redefined? Where did this concept come from?
Wojciech Gidel: On the Polish market, the concept of CSM – Central Cleaning System has been in operation for a long time, to which all available foam systems are connected. As CleanAccess, we took the initiative to separate them and start identifying them in terms of their technology and functionality. From our experience, we can confidently say that correctly defining the characteristics of the washing system can contribute to a full understanding of the customer’s needs and a better fit of solutions.
Paweł Kubala: The more we will emphasize this division in direct communication with the client, which will help him to distinguish between these systems and better define his requirements.
You highlight the division of washing systems by technology. Has this been addressed by the changing demand in the industry market?
W. G: Of course it is. As many other processes in food production require improvement and optimization, similar expectations are placed on processes to maintain hygiene in production areas. This is dictated not only by the development of technology, which forces to shift production efficiency to the so-called higher gear, but also by the very high and restrictive requirements in the field of hygiene and safety of production that are placed on production plants.
P. K.: I would add that not only changes in demand forced this division, but also the main functions of these solutions. The fundamental difference is that in de-centralized systems, chemical preparations in canisters are delivered and replaced manually. Central systems, on the other hand, are those in which these products are distributed and delivered to the washing points by means of an installation.
I understand that the features mentioned above are fundamental. What are the other fundamental differences between these systems that will allow us to better understand and distinguish them?
P. K. : Apart from the method of delivery of chemical preparations, there is also a difference in the preparation of the so-called working solution. In the case of the de-central system, which is the most popular solution used not only on the Polish market but also on the world market, the satellite at this particular point is “responsible” for the concentration of the chemical agent and preparation of the working solution. On the other hand, in the Central System, a more technologically advanced Preparation Station is responsible for the concentration of the solution, which pushes it to the washing points using a specially designed system. This allows full control and archiving of operating data, also in the area of costs.
I think we can ask the question here – which system is the better choice for production plants – Central or de-Central?
W. G.: The question is in point. We often receive them from our customers, both in Poland and on export markets, where we have a well-developed distribution network. However, it is not possible to answer unequivocally. Each plant has its own characteristics. We assume that solutions must be tailor-made and optimally matched. This is also part of the CleanAccess philosophy – well-adapted and redesigned systems.
P. K.: When talking to customers, we always try to do a thorough interview and get as much information as possible about the production process, difficulties and expectations. The hygiene plan plays a key role here. These systems are designed for people who do a lot of hard work every day, and cleaning a food production plant is not one of the easiest and most enjoyable processes.
Based on your experience and knowledge of the lining industry – to whom can you recommend Centralny?
W. G.: First of all, customers who expect maximum efficiency, trouble-free operation of the washing system, which is repeatable every day and gives very large possibilities of control and reporting.
This system will also be liked by those customers who pay great attention to security. Thanks to this system, we eliminate dozens or even hundreds of chemical canisters from the plant surface, which in the case of de-centralized systems are present in the production space. Another indicator is the scale of production and the area of the plant.
P. K.: Exactly – the more surfaces to wash, the more washing points. Thanks to the Central System, it’s easier to control. The use of this technology brings a number of benefits for the user – control over the concentration of the solution, archiving of the consumption of cleaning chemicals and other media, saving time and optimizing costs. It is worth emphasizing that in the Central System we use chemical packaging in the form of drums or pallet containers, which optimizes costs in the purchasing segment and reduces the amount of waste in the form of packaging.
In this case, does it make sense to invest in a de-Central system? With all the advantages of the Central System?
W. G: It makes perfect sense. We cannot point to the superiority of one over the other. The de-central system has many advantages, for example due to the very high flexibility with regard to the use of many different chemical formulations and different concentrations at individual washing points in a single production plant.
Remember that the Central System is not a system for all bets and there is no tendency to push the de-Central out of the market but the split will be clearly visible.
P. K.: I would like to emphasize here that the de-Central system is definitely less demanding in terms of investment costs. We always have the opportunity to improve and modernize existing systems at the plant. That is why our motto is tailor-made systems. Not only to new plants as well as to existing ones.
From the perspective of your experience – which of the systems dominate and which are actively developing on the domestic and foreign markets?
W. G.: The situation on the Polish and world markets, where foam washing systems are already established, is relatively similar. We observe that still number one remains the de-central system with local dosing of chemicals from canisters. At the same time, we are seeing increased interest in central metering systems, which is a good sign for our industry.
I would point out here that we have a difficult task to disillusion the central system and raise the sensitive issue of users (food producers) who have had negative experiences with using the old-generation central system.
This was because central dosing consisted of pressing concentrated cleaning chemicals to the washing points, which caused a number of faults in the system or in the washing stations themselves.
P. K.: We are also aware that such systems have already been operating on the market. On the other hand, the technology we used to design and manufacture this system effectively eliminated the errors and shortcomings of the original, which fortunately we only know from the stories of our customers. The new version of the Central System is much safer, trouble-free and durable.
We see central metering systems as the next step in the industry and a noticeable technological advance. Are there, therefore, areas that can be further developed?
W. G.: Our industry is constantly moving forward. Production plants and our customers are constantly facing new challenges in terms of production efficiency, cost optimisation and the entire production process. Plants are becoming more and more modern and automated. This applies to every aspect of their functioning – and therefore to the washing process.
Should we understand that such automation is an element of betting optimisation?
P. K.: The process of washing different surfaces in the production plant requires a lot of manual operations. Today, we do not imagine to subject it to complete automation. However, there are areas where automation of the washing process is possible as a main element or auxiliary operation.
Can we assume that automation of the washing process will begin to appear on the market?
W. G.: He’s already showing up. We are currently working with our customers on automatic solutions that support the washing processes of such elements as conveyor belts, freezer tunnels and spirals or stirrups in the poultry sector. Our resources also allow us to produce more tailored solutions such as automatic cleaning of blood tanks, ice skimmers or Category 3 waste transport systems.
In a word, the washing process is constantly observing the market and responding to demand?
W. G.: The geopolitical situation in which we have been operating for almost two years has presented the industry with very big challenges – primarily human resources and cost optimization. At every step, we hear that we need to save money, and we need to plan it from the beginning. First of all, collect data on the basis of which we will start this optimization. That is why we have developed an archiving system and data analysis applications that make up the washing process.
P. K.: Thanks to this, we can analyze water consumption, its temperature, consumption of chemicals, electricity, working time, water pressure. Archiving data at all times allows us to analyse and compare data and draw relevant conclusions that translate into decision-making processes in the context of cost optimisation. This is a big step towards ecology and sustainability.
Thank you for the interesting conversation and I hope that this redefinition will be permanent in the industry.
W. G.: Of course what we wish for.
CleanAccess: Centralne czy de-Centralne? Redefiniujemy systemy mycia na nowo