KVP SPIRAL CASE STUDY FOR THE POULTRY INDUSTRY
ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS:
Unlike KVP plastic spiral belting, metal spiral belts are extremely heavy and product load capacity (throughput) is consequently reduced. They are rigid by nature and difficult to maintain, particularly in a confined area. When a jam-up occurs, large sections of the metal belt must be removed and sections of new belting welded into place with extensive down time resulting. Metal "hybrid" belts with snap in place plastic conveying surfaces still require welding and have an increased risk of fire. Furthermore, the hybrid surface insert can "pop-off" the metal belt under a heavy load. Many people intuitively believe metal belting is stronger than plastic belting in every application. The fact is that, unlike KVP’s plastic belting, the strongest metal spiral belt has a rated pull strength of only 300 lbs/ft and some are rated as low as 150 lbs/ft. There is also the ongoing concern about product contamination by black specks and metal wear debris. Many metal belts also cannot be "flipped" to extend useful wear life.
THE SITUATION:
A large producer of quality frozen poultry products was having major problems meeting their production goals. For nearly two years the company was fighting a losing battle with their metal spiral freezer belt and their most profitable product, "double-dipped" marinated chicken wings. Downtime was averaging over five hours per month due to the high amount of "jam-ups". They were also experiencing significant losses in production yield due to product sticking to the belt
KVP’S ON-SITE INVESTIGATION:
KVP’s exclusive SNAP Team† converged on the plant and, after a thorough analysis of the situation, reported the following:
• The metal belt’s links were breaking due to high tension.
• Under a full load of marinated chicken wings, the metal belt does not fully collapse resulting in belt "tenting" and frequent jam-ups.
• The metal belt was very difficult to repair in the harsh freezer environment resulting in extended system down time.
• Energy consumption (motor amps) was very high because of the unnecessary added weight of the metal belt.
• Marinated chicken wings were freezing to the belt and significantly reducing product yield and extending required down time for cleaning.
THE CHALLENGE PRESENTED TO KVP:
• Increase spiral production uptime - specifically for "double-dipped" production applications.
• Eliminate spiral system "crashes".
• Attain equal to or improved sanitation (cleaning) capabilities vs. metal spiral belting.
• Increase product yield.
THE RESULTS:
The installation of KVP 2" Pitch Spiral Pro belting produced impressive results:
1) Product release was immediate
2) Belt tension was reduced
3) Downtime was reduced from 5 hours per month to ZERO
4) Motor amps were reduced, overdrive remained constant
5) "Return On Investment" for the belt was one month!!
6) Production levels increased
7) Sanitation was improved
THE KVP SOLUTION:
KVP’s exclusive Spiral Pro belt (PR62000) was the ideal solution to the processor’s problems. The 2" pitch Spiral Pro’s pull strength is rated at 600 lbs/ft – almost twice that of the strongest metal belt! Its thermoplastic surface has excellent product release characteristics in even the harshest environments to improve product yields and the belt’s lighter weight allows increased product loads and system throughput. And, the belt comes with the industry-leading KVP written spiral belt performance guarantee.
The belt was tested at the customer’s site using their toughest marinades. The belt was repeatedly dipped in the marinade solutions to recreate the most difficult environment it would face. Product release testing showed 100% product yield!
BOTTOM LINE - NO CONTEST!
The clear winner in the head-to-head match-up between metal belting and the KVP Spiral Pro modular plastic belt was KVP – and the customer!
The KVP Spiral Pro results were clear:
The KVP SNAP Team provides a written belt performance guarantee, on-site belt installation and commissioning consultation and two future system inspection reports – all for the price of the belt!
• The customer experienced a thirty-day return on investment!
• Product throughput increased significantly.
• Product yield improved to almost 100%.
• Maintenance and cleaning down time was significantly reduced.
• The threat of product metal contamination from belt wear debris was eliminated.
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