Worksite Improvement Case Studies

A factory used food-grade PVC hoses and barb fittings with hose clamp fastening for transferring ginger. Even after cleaning the hoses used for transferring the product, however, odors remained, giving rise to a concern the odors may affect other products. The manufacturer was also unhappy with sanitation because of fluid accumulating at the couplings.

A silicone hose from a different company was used in a chocolate factory for transferring chocolate to a tank during the manufacturing process. However, in areas where the movable hose was bent, broken thread ruptures occurred. Hose ruptures during operation could lead to line stoppages, resulting in the urgent need to adopt appropriate countermeasures.

At a dairy product processing plant, multiple rubber hoses with hose clamp fastening were used as piping to supply CIP cleaning liquid to the tanks. However, the hose walls were too thick, making the clamps hard to fasten and leading to leakage through loose fastenings. The hoses were also hard to lay out, requiring replacement at several hundred points.

A sake company was using a non-phthalate food grade hose with barb hose clamp fastenings for product transfer to the blending tank and transport of 80°C hot water. However, the high temperature caused hose bending and collapse as well as leaks from the couplings, reducing production efficiency and requiring a change.

A PVC hose with coils was used for fluids from high to low viscosity. There was severe hose interior coloration after fluid transport and cleaning, leading to hose replacement within six months. Measures were considered for reducing the hose replacement rate and preventing foreign matter intrusion due to fluid remaining within the hose.

A factory that produces food products uses hoses in various areas, such as production lines. All of these were assembled with barb fittings and fastened with clamps.
There was an incident where the tip of a worker’s glove got shredded while the worker was fastening a clamp, and the pieces ended up in products. The problem was detected and averted before the products were shipped, but we designed clampless hoses to solve this issue in future.

The customer was using PVC spring hoses as air piping in a plant manufacturing secondary processed Japanese tea products. However, powdered tea leaves would be carried through the air in the plant and become attached to the insides and outsides of the hoses. The customer needed to completely clean any powdered tea leaves stuck to hoses to maintain hygiene, and doing so required stopping the entire line. Cleaning would take 30 minutes each time.

The customer was using a PVC hose connected with barb ferrules and hose clamps to transport raw material (grape juice) from a press to a storage/fermentation tank located in plant producing wine. The tank was often switched out by hand, so the coupling band became loose and fluid began to leak out. This resulted in production trouble,such as line shutdowns and subsequent cleanup.

Food grade hoses had been connected to filling machines on a production line in a plant used to manufacture seasonings. These hoses were connected with ferrule couplings and barb hose clamps. However, a hose came disconnected from the coupling and caused high-temperature fluid to leak on a worker, causing a burn injury. Urgent measures were required in order to prevent future work-related injuries.　

Steam cleaning is performed on facilities in an ice cream manufacturing line, but when used it often results vertical cracking of the hose inner surface, and there is a possibility that the cracked fragments will intrude into tanks, etc. The possibility that this may be the cause of a lot rejection is a concern.
In addition, because the hose outer surface is white, surface soiling is highly noticeable, raising the possibility of this being pointed out during inspections, etc.