With over 100 years of experience, Zeelandia is a leading manufacturer of raw bakery ingredients. In an environment where product quality must be faultless, Zeelandia has turned to Russell Finex to optimise product quality, improve productivity and reduce downtime with the installation of two new Compact 900 sieves.
To satisfy increasing market demands, Zeelandia needed to work with a separation specialist like Russell Finex to meet new production requirements. The main objective was to achieve capacities of 2t/hr sieving bakery powders although a capacity up to 6t/hr was also required on a variety of other products.
In addition to achieving Zeelandia’s productivity gains, the new sieves needed to meet strict hygiene and safety standards, including HACCP and ATEX legislations. The units also needed to be flexible when sieving different products on various mesh sizes, with minimal disruption to the production process. Due to an already established relationship Zeelandia knew they could rely on Russell Finex to provide the solution they were looking for.
Russell Finex is a leading processing equipment manufacturer with a long and rich history of supplying sieves, separators and filters to the food industry. Realising the benefits of Russell Finex’s innovative experience and testing facilities, Zeelandia decided to install two custom-built Compact 900 sieves. One unit was also fitted with the Russell Finex Vibrasonic® Deblinding System (VDS), to prevent the mesh screen from blocking and therefore improving Zeelandia’s productivity even further.
Manufactured at Russell’s ISO9000 accredited factory, the bespoke Compact 900 sieves eliminated many of Zeelandia’s problems. To satisfy Zeelandia’s productivity objective, Russell Finex advised the company to attach their mesh screens to their sieve decks. This enabled operators to change the setup of the sieves rapidly to screen different products without needing to detach the mesh screen and deck individually. This significantly reduced Zeelandia’s downtime and improved the company’s productivity.
Zeelandia were also looking for units that would easily fit into their existing manufacturing process. To solve this problem Russell Finex modified the Compact sieves. The sieve decks were lowered in height and the underpans were enlarged so the units would fit neatly into the existing process without disrupting Zeelandia’s production lines.
Constructed in the highest quality stainless steel, the Compact 900 sieves can be easily cleaned between batches. The unit’s simple design allowed Zeelandia operators to strip and clean the machine without any tools. This also enabled them to quickly prepare the sieves when sieving a range of raw materials on different mesh sizes, with minimal downtime.
Another key feature of the installation was the Russell Finex Vibrasonic Deblinding System (VDS). By integrating this system, Zeelandia increased productivity as mesh blinding and blockage were eliminated. With the mesh staying clear, downtime was reduced and screening capacities improved. The innovative Vibrasonic system also allowed Zeelandia to screen their product more accurately and reduce re-screening of good product, therefore improving the bottom line.
The sieves were supplied to meet the latest ATEX approval ratings, ensuring the machines are safe to use in potentially hazardous environments. Both sieves were also fully compliant with strict HACCP and FDA hygiene standards, therefore safeguarding Zeelandia’s reputation as a leading food ingredient supplier.
