What is the problem/issue being addressed?
REA STEAMMATIC PROJECT is about the cleaning , during production and without any chemicals, of a particular type of conveyor belt used in the food industry – REA STEAM CLEANING objective is to take advantage of its experience in dry steam cleaning and sanitizing to develop a specific cleaning system for the modular belts widely used in the food industry- Due to their construction, modular belts are extremely difficult to clean and there are a source of numerous problems linked to insufficient disinfection - This issue is common for practically all the food industries of whatever product in the world – No efficient and cost effective solution has been found so far .
Finding a disruptive /innovative solution is extremely interesting for food industries -In any food industry, the importance of conveyor belt cleaning and sanitation is extreme. At the very least, inadequate cleaning can delay start up; in the worst cases, it can lead to costly shutdowns or product recalls (Annex I). Not surprisingly, then, the choice of the right cleaning method can dramatically affect productivity and costs. On average, 20% of a food plant’s days is spent on cleaning. With the right solution, food processors can prevent cleaning and sanitation problems; increase cleaning effectiveness; meet or exceed strict sanitation requirements; and reduce sanitation-related costs without sacrificing hygiene standards. Effective cleaning is also a key point of HACCP (Hazard-Analysis and Critical Control Points) protocol (Annex 0). Since its inception in the 1960s as part of space travel, the application of HACCP principles has expanded throughout the food industry. The Food Safety Modernization Act (December 2010) has lead to further adoption of the concept. Steam cleaning is compliant to all to all HACCP requirements
Why is it important for society?
REA STEAM CLEANING is already supplier of the food industry leading companies (just to cite a few Mondelez International, Nestle, Ferrero, Danone, etc..) – Export is 70 % of its business and the company product strategy is to develop new technologies that can address the global market -STEAMMATIC PROJECT is important for REA in terms of overall growth but also in terms of marketing and commercial strategy - REA is already recognized for its inline steam washing systems, both in the mechanical industry and in the food industry. Successfully developing and marketing a washing system for modular transport belts would confirm REA leadership in this area - Economically, the increase in turnover and margins in the event of success would be considerable and would impact sales to food industry in general , including our sales of mobile cleaning systems -
What are the overall objectives?
Overall objectives of the feasibility study can be grouped in three distinctive items : technical aspects/ market/profitability
Technical aspects:
• Finalize a working prototype that would be able to accommodate different width , speed and material of conveyors belts
• Optimize the parameters pertinent to cleaning result (number, position, size of the steam nozzles)
• Optimize the parameters pertinent to drying of the belt (shape of the suction chamber, size of vacuum turbine and piping)
• Optimize the size/dimension of the system so that it fits in any existing production line
• Evaluate the running costs (in €/ hour) of the different versions (amortization and energy cost)
• Compliance to the various safety rules/legislations
Market:
• Precisely define the range of belt cleaners : how many different versions of our system to cover the complete market requirements in terms of conveyors type / sizes / speed / type of contamination
• To address specifically (appropriate, on target communication) each family of food manufacturers (pastry, meat, dairies...)
• To partnership with the main manufacturers of conveyor belts ( Intralox, Habasit , Flexlink, Tetrapak)
• Efficient product promotion (demonstrations- local tests – working samples ...)
Profitability:
• Have a precise costing of the Bill of Material / cost of labour of the different versions
• Through market research make a more precise sales forecast (see sales forecast section 2.1.b)
• Better quantify some costs expressed in the P&L (section 2.1.b) namely the sales and marketing costs
