Pump proves its worth

Kerry Ingredients, the largest division of Ireland-based Kerry Group, produces more than 9000 food ingredients products from more than 70 manufacturing sites across five continents, including Australia.

The company’s Victorian plant, near Altona, produces a range of ingredients from savoury through to sweet products for the food processor and food service markets. Recently, it installed a Grundfos NOVAlobe 50 to pump various products at up to 50,000 cP viscosity.

Kerry Ingredients Project Engineer Geoff Walker says he knew what he required and believed the Grundfos NOVAlobe was the right pump to use.

“We designed a clean rectangular hollow support frame for it, and this, the pump and other parts of the assembly were put together locally by Doyle Pump and Engineering in conjunction with Grundfos,” Walker said.

“It sits on its frame beneath a homogeniser which is directly below an 1800-litre stainless steel tank, operates up to half a dozen times per shift and has been working faultlessly since its installation.

“It pumps a variety of liquids from mayonnaise through to chocolate and strawberry sauces, and - of course - hot cleaning water. It transfers our products to portable tanks and fillers, or whatever else is required to move the product around the factory.

“The pump operates at temperatures ranging from 15 to 90˚C and has tremendous flexibility because of its clean-in-place attributes.

“We have been very pleased with its performance. While it is not a new installation, it replaces an existing pump and is doing a great job.”