Preventing Product Recalls With a More Hygienic Spiral Conveyor

One of the biggest dangers to profitability in food production is a recall. Engineers at the corporate and plant level need to maintain production efficiency while balancing the time and cost of keeping the line clean and sanitary. With a traditional drum / cage spiral conveyor or one with a typical closed side-frame design, this is exceedingly difficult compared to a SideDrive Conveyor Co. hygienic spiral conveyor.

Any recall will have a drastic impact on the food manufacturer. The direct costs include reverse logistics, notifying the applicable regulatory bodies, and the loss in revenue due to unsellable products. Additional costs, which aren’t so easy to quantify, include the damage to the brand and any compensation you may need to pay to any affected consumers.

We’ll discuss the biggest risks in spiral conveying that could lead to a product recall and show you how to avoid them.

Why Traditional Spiral Conveyors Increase the Risk of Contamination?

Do you remember that Friends episode where Phoebe paid Chandler $7,000 to stop smoking? You may recall she got the money from a company after discovering a thumb in her soda! While that sounds extreme, foreign material contamination (FMC) is more prevalent than you may think. By November 2021, there were more than 400 food product recalls in the U.S.

When you need to elevate or lower products on the line (or just increase the dwell time for products), it’s common to use a drum cage or side-frame spiral in your process. These systems have multiple points of possible failure inherent in their design.

The challenges with side-frame and drum cage spirals include:

• Numerous harborage points including surfaces and faces that are just uncleanable
• Changes in friction between the cage and belt can increase tension leading to belt damage or system crashes.
• Damage to any components can lead to an increased risk of FMC.
• Metal components need lubrication and an oiling system increases the risk of FMC

The more moving metal components you use in your design, the more difficult your sanitation regime becomes. Not to mention that any major failure on the line would require a hot-work permit for repairs that increase your downtime. You can overcome most of these challenges with a side-driven spiral conveyor.

How a Side-Drive Hygienic Spiral Conveyor Reduces Product Recall Risks

Striking the right balance between production efficiency and elevated safety in food processing remains a major concern for engineers. The more uptime you can guarantee without compromising on food safety, the better for your company. A side-driven design for your spiral conveyor provides better access, reduces harborage points, and eliminates the risk of tension that could lead to contamination.

A side-driven sanitary spiral conveyor will:

• Impart the motive force on the belt using side-mounted sprockets and drives
• Give you an open design that makes it possible to access all areas of the spiral conveyor
• Reduce possible failure points by eliminating metal-to-metal contact and the need for lubrication
• Eliminate stainless steel and plastic relative motion to reduce the risk of metal specks entering the production line

With fewer points of failure and a modular design, you can also increase your uptime and reduce the time spent cleaning the spiral conveyor. For any food processing application, a side-driven spiral conveyor is a flexible solution that you can adjust according to your exact needs.

Improving Food Safety with SideDrive Conveyor Company

Food safety is a public health concern. Any product recall will have disastrous effects on your business. Using a spiral conveyor design that elevates your sanitation protocols and ensures your production efficiency enables you to reduce the risk of a costly recall.

SideDrive Conveyor Co. uses the latest drive technology and plastic belt system to support any food processing application. It’s the most sanitary spiral conveyor design available on the market and can help you ensure food safety without compromising your production efficiency.

For more information about our sanitary spiral conveyor solutions, get in touch with SideDrive Conveyor Co. today.