Technology search
Minimally invasive cleaning solutions for manufacturing system
Client overview
An established and global manufacturer of FMCG products utilised a variety of liquid, semi-liquid and powder raw materials in their production processes. Materials are delivered in bulk from external suppliers and transported along extensive piping to processing equipment. The client had recently identified some new materials having a tendency to adhere to surfaces of the tanks, pipes and pumps, building up a residue over time, and they were not responding to water-based cleaning. Additionally, the scale and complexity of the production plants meant that the systems requiring cleaning couldn’t be disassembled, had limited access points and couldn’t support solutions requiring high-pressure or flammable solvents. The client was therefore keen to identify solutions requiring minimal manual intervention that could be tested onsite within 6 months.
The search
Due to the tight timeframes the client was working to, Strategic Allies Ltd (SAL) initiated an intensive 3-month search to identify appropriate technology partners able to deliver minimally invasive cleaning solutions for the polymer-based slurry material.
SAL worked with its partner network to identify potential innovators in this space, and undertook interviews with technology companies and service providers to evaluate and filter solutions against the client’s technical requirements (e.g. confidential material data, use in small diameter, long length pipes and mixing tanks, minimal downtime and impact on wastewater stream) and commercial requirements (specific global locations and shortterm testing availability). Opportunities were found using both chemical and mechanical cleaning techniques.
SAL then worked with the client to prioritise those solutions that had some proof of efficacy against similar classes of compounds, could be deployed quickly onsite and with minimal impact on the production system. Samples of chemical solutions were arranged for immediate testing.
“…gave reassurance looking at so many options globally”
“…whole process very useful”
Outcome
27 companies were shortlisted for presentation to the client – SAL presented a detailed overview of each technology and the organisation’s previous experience and global capabilities, with supporting documents.
The client took up direct contact with 11 companies SAL presented, received chemical samples from 6 suppliers and scheduled site visits and pilot trials with 4 equipment / service companies, all within 3 months of the kick-off meeting.