How Sanitary Design makes life easier & faster for operators

In today's competitive food manufacturing landscape, sanitary design has become a critical factor in both risk management and profitability. As consumer demands shift towards product quality, and ‘free-from’ foods, the industry focus has evolved from mere production speed to comprehensive food & allergen safety measures.

This shift is particularly evident in the bar and chocolate production sector, where sanitary design enables manufacturers to turn over SKUs more rapidly while maintaining stringent allergen compliance and food safety standards.

At PTL, we've recognized this requirement for over three and a half decades, weaving hygiene and sanitation into the fabric of our design philosophy from day one.

Our collaborative approach, which we call "Creating Together," has positioned us at the forefront of sanitary design innovation, often setting standards that the industry is only now beginning to adopt widely.

Current Challenges in Bar and Chocolate Production

The bar and chocolate production industry faces unique challenges when it comes to maintaining sanitary conditions:

1. Water Activity and Temperature Control: The production process often involves both heating and cooling with water, creating environments conducive to bacterial growth. Warm, humid conditions in small spaces or crevices can become breeding grounds for contaminants if not carefully managed.
2. Absence of Kill Step: Unlike baked goods, cold-formed bars lack a high-temperature "kill step" in their production process. This absence makes it critical to maintain stringent hygiene standards throughout the entire production line.
3. Allergen Management: With the increasing prevalence of food allergies, managing allergens across multiple SKUs produced on the same line has become a significant challenge.
4. Cleaning Accessibility: Traditional equipment often features hard-to-reach areas, such as cooling tunnel coil sections or enrober wire belts, which can harbor bacteria and allergens if not properly cleaned.

The "Hygiene-First" Design Philosophy

At PTL, we've revolutionized equipment design with our "hygiene-first" philosophy. This approach, balances sanitation capabilities with production functionality from the very start of the design process.

Our method begins with a thorough understanding of our customers production needs, and an analysis of the shortcomings in existing machinery. We then craft our designs with a keen eye on efficient cleaning and sanitation. This holistic view encompasses the entire machine lifecycle: from production and strip-down to cleaning, reassembly, and return to operation.

By prioritizing hygiene alongside functionality, we've created machines that not only meet production demands but also slash cleaning times and costs. This shift in thinking moves beyond the outdated model where hygiene was often an afterthought. Instead, our approach embeds food safety and operational efficiency into the very core of our designs, ultimately driving our clients' success.

Key Elements of Sanitary Equipment Design

Our collaborative design process has led to the development of several key elements that define our sanitary equipment:

1. Toolless Disassembly: Unlike many other brands that require specialist engineering tools, PTL equipment is designed for minimal tool use. For operator washdown duties, strip-down typically requires no specialist tools at all.
2. Strategic Swab Locations: We design our equipment with a "swab point focus," ensuring easy access to all product contact points for cleaning and microbial testing.
3. Material Selection and Surface Finishing: We predominantly use stainless steel with specific corner radii and polished surfaces to minimize bacterial adhesion and facilitate easy cleaning.
4. Elimination of Harborage Points: Our designs minimize flat surfaces and potential dust or moisture accumulation points, reducing the risk of contamination.
5. Drainage Systems: We incorporate strategically placed drain points for efficient removal of waste and cleaning solutions.

An Example Of PTL’s Approach: Cooling Tunnels

Cooling tunnels represent one of the largest surface areas in snack bar production and thus one of the biggest risks for bacterial growth. Our innovative design addresses these challenges:

1. Accessible Coil Sections: Unlike traditional designs where coils are difficult to clean, our cooling tunnels feature easily accessible and cleanable coil sections.
2. Washdown Capability: The entire tunnel can be hosed down, with strategically placed drains ensuring efficient water removal.
3. Quick-Change Filters: Our design allows for rapid removal and replacement of filters, minimizing downtime during cleaning processes.
4. Belt Systems: We've developed easily and readily cleaning and drying on both sides of the belt, including the often-overlooked inside surfaces.

Another Example: Enrobers

Enrobers present unique challenges due to their complex mechanisms and the viscous nature of chocolate. Our design innovations include:

1. Removable Tanks and Carriages: The enrober tank can be easily pulled out, and the carriage separated from the tank for thorough cleaning.
2. Tilt Mechanisms: We supply specially designed tilt trolleys that allow for easy cleaning of the carriage from all angles.
3. Industry leading accessibility: Our tank design ensures that all corners are easily accessible for sanitation and cleaning, eliminating hard-to-reach areas that could harbor contaminants.

The Role of Operators in Maintaining Sanitary Conditions

But machines are just one half of the equation.

That's why our collaborative approach extends to the people who use our machinery every day. We consider the operator's perspective at every stage of the design process, creating equipment that's intuitive to use and clean.

Our designs feature simplified cleaning procedures, recognizing that complex processes can lead to shortcuts that compromise food safety. By making our equipment easy to clean, we empower operators to maintain high sanitary standards consistently and efficiently.

We've also minimized the need for specialized tools in our machinery. Unlike traditional equipment that often requires a toolbox full of specific implements, our designs allow for easy maintenance with minimal tools. This not only speeds up the cleaning process but greatly simplifies the operation of these machines.

Beyond the physical design, we partner with our clients to develop tailored training programs and best practices. These programs are customized to each production environment, which fosters a culture of hygiene and efficiency throughout the entire production facility.

Impact on Production Efficiency

Our sanitary design philosophy doesn't just improve food safety—it significantly enhances production efficiency:

1. Faster Changeovers: With easily cleanable components and toolless disassembly, changeovers between SKUs can be accomplished much more quickly.
2. Reduced Downtime: The ease of cleaning and reassembly minimizes the time equipment is out of production for sanitation purposes.
3. Minimized Waste and Recall Risks: By reducing the risk of contamination, our equipment helps minimize product waste and the potentially catastrophic impact of product recalls.

Future Trends in Sanitary Design

As we look to the future, our innovation pipeline is brimming with exciting developments in sanitary design. We're exploring cutting-edge technologies and novel approaches, always with an eye toward enhancing food safety and operational efficiency.

Antimicrobial materials for non-food contact surfaces are one area of particular interest. While maintaining our commitment to food-safe materials in product contact areas, we’re exploring how other industries design, create and maintain anti-microbial surfaces - providing an additional defense against contamination.

We're also tackling the challenges water can present in certain production environments, especially in chocolate manufacturing. Our research into waterless or low-water cleaning methods could revolutionize sanitation processes, reducing moisture-related issues while maintaining rigorous hygiene standards.

Perhaps most exciting is our work on smart, IoT-enabled cleaning systems. These innovations could monitor equipment cleanliness in real-time and optimize cleaning cycles based on actual production data. This data-driven approach promises to boost both the efficiency and effectiveness of sanitation procedures.

As always, we're developing these innovations hand-in-hand with our clients. By combining our design expertise with our clients' production knowledge, we ensure our future designs will continue to meet real-world needs in the most effective way possible.

A Critical Investment

Investing in sanitary design is no longer optional in the bar and chocolate production industry—it's a competitive necessity.

And we see this as a huge opportunity for the industry - the organizations that lean into this will see huge benefits in terms of increased production efficiency, reduced contamination risks, and enhanced brand reputation.

At PTL, we're committed to continuing our collaborative approach, working closely with our clients to push the boundaries of what's possible in sanitary equipment design. By choosing PTL, you're not just getting a piece of equipment—you're gaining a partner dedicated to enhancing your production efficiency and food safety standards through innovative, hygiene-first design.

If you would like an obligation-free conversation about how we could work with you to achieve these outcomes, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

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