Charlotte headquartered SPX FLOW, Inc., a leading provider of process solutions for the nutrition, health and industrial markets had recently released its innovative range of solutions in the market along with their process design, service, including summarizing in detail on the support that they have to offer for the Dairy manufacturers across the globe.
Read: August 2023 Issue of Food Infotech Magazine.
In this exclusive interaction with Claus from Food Infotech, Pranav Shah, Global Market Director, SPX FLOW, Inc. discussed at length about SPX FLOW’s efforts and its role in supporting ice cream manufacturers at various stages of production, with holistic, end-to-end solutions that can cater to their unique requirements from start to finish, including sharing more details about the specialized service and support programs that they’ve been offering for the dairy manufacturers across the globe and a lot more.
• Firstly, could you please begin by briefing us more about what’s currently in store for ice cream manufacturers from SPX FLOW?
We’ve noticed ice cream producers launch unique flavor profiles for seasonal celebrations, like peppermint chocolate in the holiday season or fruit blends in the summertime. Whatever the phase of the year, SPX FLOW is proud to supply comprehensive solutions that streamline production processes and deliver exceptional results. As one of the major producers in ice-cream technology, SPX FLOW offers a holistic, end-to-end solution for ice-cream manufacturers, catering to their unique requirements from start to finish.
SPX FLOW stands apart by providing an extensive lineup of cutting-edge equipment and technologies. Beginning with the crucial stages of mixing and standardizing, our solutions are engineered to ensure precise and consistent ingredient integration, setting the foundation for superior ice-cream quality.
As homogenization and heat treatment play pivotal roles in the production process, our specialized systems offer unparalleled efficiency and performance. We enable ice-cream manufacturers to achieve optimal product texture and taste, captivating the palates of consumers worldwide.
An essential aspect of ice-cream production is the overnight aging process, a critical step in enhancing flavor development. SPX FLOW’S innovative equipment, gentle agitation and right time-temperature profiles facilitate this phase, promoting a delicate balance of taste and texture.
Moreover, seamless pumping and precise valve control are crucial components that ensure smooth and efficient ice-cream production. Our state-of-the-art pumping solutions and precisely calibrated valves optimize manufacturing operations, bolstering productivity while maintaining the highest quality standards.
In acknowledging the significance of a global footprint, we partner with reputable European manufacturers for ice-cream freezers, hardening tunnels and packing lines. These trusted collaborations extend our reach across the world, enabling us to offer reliable and consistent equipment solutions to ice-cream manufacturers on a global scale.
SPX FLOW remains committed to driving innovation in the ice-cream manufacturing industry. By integrating cutting-edge technology, fostering strategic partnerships, and delivering unparalleled customer support, we continue to redefine the standards of excellence for ice-cream production, empowering manufacturers to delight consumers with irresistible frozen delights across the globe.
• Please tell us more about your service and support programs that are being used by some of your clients in their dairy and plant-based process line along with their key features & benefits?
We offer innovation centers around the world that serve as hubs of creativity and experimentation for customers, allowing them to test and fine-tune their recipes before full-scale production. Our team of skilled food technologists work closely with customers to provide invaluable expertise on tailoring and testing recipes, adapting to emerging trends, and catering to evolving consumer tastes.
With a keen eye on meeting precise needs and requirements, we empower clients to conceptualize and develop new and exciting products that resonate with their target markets. Our commitment to speed-to-market is further bolstered by the rapid prototyping and iterative testing processes offered at these centers. By expediting the product development phase, we enable our clients to swiftly introduce innovative offerings that capture consumer interest and drive business growth.
From first trial at the innovation center, to designing a process, supplying the project, and supporting it with original spares, we support our customers from the first step until the last.
At SPX FLOW, we also prioritize providing comprehensive support throughout the entire life cycle of the plants and equipment we design. Our specialized spares, service, and aftermarket programs are specifically designed to ensure seamless operation, maintenance, and optimization of the plant-based and dairy processing plants we build.
1. Special Spares Program:
Our Special Spares Program is meticulously crafted to offer clients a readily available inventory of critical components, spare parts and consumables required for their processing plants. By proactively stocking essential items, we minimize lead times and reduce the risk of unexpected downtime, enabling clients to maintain uninterrupted production and meet their customer demands efficiently.
2. Service Program:
The Service Program at SPX FLOW is a cornerstone of our commitment to customer satisfaction. We have a dedicated team of skilled technicians and engineers who possess extensive knowledge of our equipment and technologies. They provide on-site support and maintenance services, ensuring that processing plants operate at optimal efficiency and performance levels. Regular preventive maintenance and inspections are carried out to identify potential issues before they escalate into costly breakdowns, thereby enhancing the reliability and longevity of the equipment.
3. Aftermarket Program:
Our Aftermarket Program complements our service offerings, providing manufacturers with ongoing support, upgrades and modernization options as their processing needs evolve over time. By staying aware of technological advancements and industry trends, we offer equipment upgrades and improvements that align with the latest standards, ensuring that our clients’ plants remain competitive and efficient in an ever-changing market. By combining specialized spares, service, and aftermarket programs with the expertise of our dedicated teams, we empower our customers to maximize the value of their processing plants, enhance productivity, and maintain a competitive edge in the industry throughout the entire lifecycle of their equipment.
• A bit about any of your recent efforts in offering sustainable solutions for the industry.
At SPX FLOW, every day, we do more to use less. Our engineers, technical sales and solution architects apply their intellect and years of experience to help our customers use less water, energy, footprint, and manpower, which ultimately helps business profitability and most importantly improves the environment we all live in. Crucial to this is cleanability and food safety, and this includes making sure our solutions and plants can be cleaned to the highest standards to meet legislative requirements.
Some of our most recent water breakthrough technologies can be found here:
https://www.spxflow.com/assets/pdf/sustainability-water-tearsheet.pdf
• Can you let us know with an example about what kind of support have you been offering the dairy producers and how have you been helping clients save on critical costs?
Below are few of many examples on how we support our customers to be more sustainable and efficient in their processes:
i. Automation is one of the most critical ways for dairy processors to improve the sustainability of their operations. SPX FLOW food and beverage experts are leveraging industry 4.0 solutions to make data driven decisions for maximum performance. Real-time data reports show their energy, utility and waste savings can help optimize production lines.
ii. Our Homogenizer Water Recycling System saves 97% of the cooling water used for piston cooling.
iii. Our Hygienic and Aseptic Pigging Systems (ARRS) help reduce waste during and at the end of production, scraping residual product from the pipes. High viscous product losses can be reduced from 4% to less than 0.5% of total solids. This reduces clean-in-place (CIP) time and saves water as well as CIP chemicals too.
iv. We offer partial homogenization instead of traditional homogenization to reduce the size of the homogenizer down by two sizes, using micro-gap valves for similar efficiency at lower power consumption.
v. We released a new series called D4 Valves, that are much more sustainable. Within this series, the DA4 double seat mix proof valve requires five times less cleaning fluid than our competition during CIP.
vi. We also have launched versatile small scale mixer Flex-Mix Pilot Plant that helps to do trials on a smaller scale before full production.
vii. Our innovation centers offer remote trials in case customers cannot visit on-site.
• Lastly, would you let us know about your future plans?
We have many innovations in process for dairy and plant-based applications. We also have patents lined up on the product side, component side and process side of planning.
We recently launched an innovative process to the market whereby we can reduce the yellowness of lactose by utilizing blue light technology. We filed patents for plant-based cheese processes, and more are in the pipeline to be released in 2023 and 2024. We’re also developing a predictive control program for dryer operations which is coming soon. Trusted innovations in ultra-high temperature, membrane technology, pumps, valves, and mixers are consistently undergoing enhancements and upgrades.
Other bullets:
1. Our brands and breadth of offering – whatever the application can help support the customer’s projects from end to end;
2. Our innovative process solutions deliver safe, nutritious products consistently in the most sustainable and efficient manner;
3. We are a solution partner that innovates with customers to help them adapt to the ever-changing market trends and tastes;
4. We are continually innovating and developing new sustainable solutions that differentiate our offering to support them;
5. We help them protect their brand by consistently producing nutritional, safe products in a sustainable and profitable way;
6. We help our customers through the entire life cycle of their process including innovation, service, and aftermarket services;
7. We are a global company with a global footprint, creating consistency in our deliverables and a strong, direct channel partner network to provide global support.
