A new way to clean revolutionizes a French fry plant
Ultrasonic cleaning technology helps a Canadian frozen foods processor save on production costs.
To produce frozen French fries, Cavendish Farms uses intricate machinery that requires regular cleaning and maintenance to decrease downtime and increase efficiency. In its New Annan potato processing plant on Canada’s Prince Edward Island, the process required to maintain its technology was lengthy and cumbersome. Scales, shakers, vibrators, graders, baggers, open bag detectors, metal detectors, case packers, sortation conveyors, palletizers, wrappers, gear boxes, ceiling cooling units and stainless steel filters all require regular cleaning and repairs.
Oil from the French fries clogs pivot points and other components, including parts that are more complicated to clean and maintain. Each of the plant’s 12 Ishida scales has 28 buckets—14 pool hoppers and 14 weigh hoppers. It can take up to four hours every few months to disassemble one bucket, hand scrub each component and reassemble and replace the unit. Oil also can cause errors on the scales and other malfunctions, including errant fries in the machinery.