1. Product Recovery (Pigging) Case Study: Log House Foods Central America How Automatic Pigging Systems Improve Efficiency and Minimise Waste in Chocolate Production HPS Product Recovery Solutions www.HPS - Pigging.com
3. Page 3 © Hygienic Pigging Systems Ltd 2015 - 2017 HPS Product Recovery Solutions | www.hps - pigging.com | +44 (0) 11 5 925 4700 | info@hps - pigging.com Hygienic Pigging Systems Ltd, 46 Evelyn Street, Beeston, Nottingham NG9 2EU, United Kingdom © Hygienic Pigging Systems Ltd 20 21 Project Background Log H ouse F oods b uilt a n ew f acility t o produce w hite chocolate , milk c hocolate a nd dark c hocolate. This i ncluded 11 storage tanks. During the p roject, Log H ouse approached HPS t o di scuss using pi gging t o maximise p roduct y ield and in crease p lant capacity w hile reducing p roduction downtime for c hangeovers and cleaning. Several o f th e lines a re u sed f or different f ormulations o f p roduct, so i t was i mportant t o log house t o quickly, efficiently a nd e ffectively c lear them. As w ell as a voiding c ross - contamination, Log H ouse F oods wanted to a void l eaving p roduct standing i n t he l ine. Jeff Green , Director R&D at L og H ouse F oods e xplained, “This w as a n ew in stallation a nd s everal o f the l ines u tilize v ari ous formulas, so i t w as important t hat w e were able to c lear t he line. A lso, not l eaving product in the lines h elps p revent s ettling and freeze ups whi ch can cause unnecessary shutdowns”.
4. Page 4 © Hygienic Pigging Systems Ltd 2015 - 2017 HPS Product Recovery Solutions | www.hps - pigging.com | +44 (0) 11 5 925 4700 | info@hps - pigging.com Hygienic Pigging Systems Ltd, 46 Evelyn Street, Beeston, Nottingham NG9 2EU, United Kingdom © Hygienic Pigging Systems Ltd 20 21 Why Log House Chose HPS as their Pigging Systems Provider HPS has a strong reputation as the world’s leading hygienic and sanitary pigging systems specialist and has worked with a wide variety of companies that manufacture Chocolate, Baking and Confectionery products. There are certain considerations that need taking in to account when processing and pig ging chocolate products. HPS has extensive experience providing pigging systems for chocolate products, including manufacturers of some of the best - known brands throughout the world. This experience meant that, as well as being fully aware of the chocolate production process, they were quickly able to recommend highly effective, efficient, and fully comprehensive solutions to meet Log House Foods requirements and objectives. Jeff Green commented, “We spoke with some of our vendors to see how they managed sim ilar issues in their facilities. Based on our research, we found HPS had a good reputation in our industry.” T he Solution The new facility includes two main processing stages. The first one is for incoming delivery of liquid chocolate to store in one of a series of t anks in the tank farm. The second is for outgoing movement of liquid chocolate from storage tanks to a day tank. For safety, reliability and above all operational efficiency, Log House Foods needed to automatically pig both the incoming and outgoing lines. The system had to be simple to use and remove product f rom inside the pipework without the need for any additional handling equipment. HPS designed, manufactured, and commissioned three 4 - inch and two 3 - inch Fully Automatic Single - Pig Tank Select Systems.
6. Page 6 © Hygienic Pigging Systems Ltd 2015 - 2017 HPS Product Recovery Solutions | www.hps - pigging.com | +44 (0) 11 5 925 4700 | info@hps - pigging.com Hygienic Pigging Systems Ltd, 46 Evelyn Street, Beeston, Nottingham NG9 2EU, United Kingdom © Hygienic Pigging Systems Ltd 20 21 • P igging also mitigates the need to flush additional coating through the lines. This not only saves pro duct, but it also prevents cross - contamination during changeover s. • Because pigging enables the operators to clear the pipe as frequently as they like with little to no effort, it helps avoid the product settling and solidifying. Jeff summarized the project results as f ollows, “We feel, based on our operation that we have managed to cut down on potential down time by not leaving product in the piping. We definitely have not incurred any product issues by being able to remove as much as possible the various formulations w e run through the same piping systems”. “It is a long run from receiving to storage on a sizeable pipe. Being able t o clear that li ne after each receipt allows us to better utilize each lot in a timely manner more completely than if we just left it in the p ipe from truck to truck.” “The receiving line holds between 500 and 2500 lbs of coating depending on which storage tank we are using. With minimal waste (less than 25 lbs typically), we can push all that material to storage rather than leaving it in the pipes. This improves lot control and prevents products from sitting unavailable for extended periods of time.” “From storage to use point, the piggable pipe sections hold about 500 - 600 lbs. Capturing that quantity for change overs would increase labor and c hange over time dramatically. It also mitigates the need to flush additional coating through the lines so that change overs/cross - contamination issues are mitigated. In addition, it helps prevent settling and freeze ups by clearing the pipe as frequently a s we like with little to no effort.” In addition to the above benefits, by saving energy and resources, pigging has also helped Log House improve its environmental sustainability. When asked if he would recommend HPS to other companies, Jeff replied “Defin itely”
5. Page 5 © Hygienic Pigging Systems Ltd 2015 - 2017 HPS Product Recovery Solutions | www.hps - pigging.com | +44 (0) 11 5 925 4700 | info@hps - pigging.com Hygienic Pigging Systems Ltd, 46 Evelyn Street, Beeston, Nottingham NG9 2EU, United Kingdom © Hygienic Pigging Systems Ltd 20 21 HP S has a team of software engineers, programmers, and developers. However, some customers, such as Log House, prefer to use their own. So, in this case, HPS provided a software functional design specification (FDS) to enable Log House’s selected programmers to deve lop coding for the pigging system operation. Jeff said , “The solution was simple to use. The HMI was customizable to suit our needs and everyone we dealt with from sales to parts to installation and programming was fantastic to work with.” When commissionin g was complete, HPS engineers ensured Log House Foods staff fully understood how the systems worked and were fully trained to properly and safely operate and maintain the equipment. When asked about his experience working with HPS, Jeff stated “The install ation tech was fantastic, knowledgeable and helpful well beyond the scope of the work. HPS personnel were all knowledgeable and extremely helpful in sharing information based on other operations successes which in turn translated to ours”. “The follow thro ugh on a few issues that arose during installation and start up was tremendous. Everything was done on a timely basis and working with your team was about as easy an experience with a contractor that we had during the entire project.” The Results This was a brand - ne w facility, so unlike pigging system implementations added to existing processes, there are no ‘before and after’ results. However, the five pigging systems have minimised product wastage, helped towards optimising changeover times, reduced the risks of cr oss - contamination, improved lot control and lowered the chances of product settling and freeze ups. • The receiving line holds between 500 lbs and 2500 lbs of coating (depending on the storage tank being used). With minimal waste, the pigging syst em en able s Log House Foods to quickly and easily send this coating to storage rather than leaving it in the pipes. This improves lot control and prevents products from sitting unavailable for extended periods of time. • From storage to use point, the piggable pipe s ections hold about 500 lbs to 600 lbs of product. Not using pigging would significantly increase changeover times as well as resources and labour costs.
2. Page 2 © Hygienic Pigging Systems Ltd 2015 - 2017 HPS Product Recovery Solutions | www.hps - pigging.com | +44 (0) 11 5 925 4700 | info@hps - pigging.com Hygienic Pigging Systems Ltd, 46 Evelyn Street, Beeston, Nottingham NG9 2EU, United Kingdom © Hygienic Pigging Systems Ltd 20 21 About Log House Foods Based in Plymouth, Minnesota, USA, Log House Foods manufactures and distributes its marketleading baking and bakery products. The company, which has been in business for well over 60 years, is built on a solid foundation of high quality, great value and exceptional customer service. As well as being a well - known brand in its own right, Log House Foods also produces the Candiquik range of baking ingredients and Jacobsen's Snack Toast. Summary • HPS designed, supplied, and implemented five fully automatic single - pig tank select systems at a new Log House Foods production facility in Plymouth, Minnesota, USA . • The systems prevent significant amounts of residual chocolate standing in the pipes, improve lot control, and keep waste to a minimum . • By allowing Log House Foods t o clear pipelines as frequently as they like with minimal effort, the company also saves sig nificant amounts of time, labour and ensure product quality . • Pigging has also helped prevent downtime by reducing t h e chance of product solidifying. • Because they use pigging, there ’ s no need for Log House Foods to flush additional coating through their lines. This prevents changeover and cross - contamination issue s . • By saving energy and resources, pigging also helps towards Log House’ s environmental s ustainability goals.
7. Page 7 © Hygienic Pigging Systems Ltd 2015 - 2017 HPS Product Recovery Solutions | www.hps - pigging.com | +44 (0) 11 5 925 4700 | info@hps - pigging.com Hygienic Pigging Systems Ltd, 46 Evelyn Street, Beeston, Nottingham NG9 2EU, United Kingdom © Hygienic Pigging Systems Ltd 20 21 Contac t HPS To improve the efficiency and effectiveness of your liquid processing, contact your nearest HPS Office : United Kingdom ( Head Office ): HPS Product Recovery Solutions 46 Evelyn Street Beeston Nottingham, NG9 2EU United Kingdom T: +44 (0) 115 925 4700 E: info@HPS - Pigging.com USA and Canada: HPS LLC T: +1 908 858 5225 E: usa@hps - pigging.com Australasia: HPS Australasia T: +61 (0)8 8278 1009 E : australia@hps - pigging.com All other countries: We have agents throughout the world. Please contact the HPS head office and we will put you in touch with your local HPS representative: T: +44 (0) 115 925 4700 E: info@HPS - Pigging.com You can also find us on:
