Worksite Improvement Case Studies

When using PVC resin hoses with hard steel wires for transferring products such as lotions and bathwater additives, the hoses become contaminated with odors from the products, resulting in the need for separate hoses for each product.
However, replacing hoses is not easy in some situations, and replacement could lead to assembly mistakes that would likely result in product defects, so the customer must adopt appropriate countermeasures.

The customer was using a braid hose crimping product from another manufacturer on piping running from an emulsifier tank to a filling machine. They had previously been fastening it with a hose clamp, but switched to using a crimping product due to an accident where a disconnection occurred and the entire floor was filled with an odor that would not disperse, forcing the customer to stop operations for five days.
However, the coupling also had to be discarded when replacing the crimping product, resulting in added costs.

Silicone hoses fastened with hose clamps were being used to transfer products and clean with alcohol during cosmetics filling processes. However, these silicone hoses were being replaced once every six months, due to concerns about odors coming from them. There were also sanitary concerns due to liquid pooling, so employees had been disassembling and cleaning hoses every day. This created a lot of extra work.

Tanks of raw material for cosmetics are regularly washed with steam, but just two to three months of use causes the steam hose sheath to crack. Measures were required for the risk of contamination with foreign matter due to small fragments of rubber from the cracked hose falling into the tank.

TOYOSILICONE-S Hose + FERRULE crimping product is used for transporting material from the cosmetic raw material tank to the mixing pot. The hoses are replaced once a year due to deterioration or discoloration, but if it is a crimped product, the couplings cannot be reused and cost is a problem.

ECORON-S Hose 38φ + barbed FERRULE hose clamp fastening 2m is used for the hose in which cosmetic raw materials flow. However, as dedicated hoses are used for each product due to concerns about odor transfer, 40 hoses are required in total, making work efficiency poor.

TOYOFOODS S Hose 38φ, barb fittings, and hose clamp fastenings are used for the pressure feed and suction piping between the cosmetic raw material tank and the mixing pot.
However, residual liquid tends to remain on the inner surface of the hose when washing, making cleaning and proper sanitation difficult. There is also uncertainty as to when the adhered fluid may come loose and mix with the product.

To feed an undiluted cleaning agent, a customer was using a competitor’s silicone braided hose. But this type of silicone hose is bursted near the coupling part, and creating major problems on the line.

A PVC hose was fastened with barb and two clamps in a process for filling undiluted liquid soap. But the nipple would disconnect, causing the soap to spill out. This was a major problem in terms of product loss as well as requiring extra labor to clean up the floors, which became a slippery hazard when the soap spilled.

A manufacturer of skin-care preparations was using a silicone braided hose to deliver an undiluted solution. The cleaning process involved passing hot steam through the hose, which made the hose more susceptible to breakage. Workers complained of the difficulties in maintaining an efficient work schedule.