In this article, we explore five opportunities to maximise the lifespan of the technical equipment at your food production site.

From food oil monitors to water activity meters, technical equipment plays an essential role in helping food factories to deliver on product quality, food safety, cost efficiencies, and audit compliance. The right instrumentation will also simplify or even eliminate certain manual tasks – making life easier for your workforce and speeding up your operation.

As you will know, technical equipment often requires a significant financial investment, with sites paying an upfront cost in the hopes of securing long term savings further down the line. Although this is to be expected, upfront costs can sometimes make it difficult for team leaders to get sign off on the introduction of new equipment. There can also be an increased pressure to deliver results and ensure any new instrumentation stands the test of time.

With this in mind, we decided to produce a comprehensive guide to maximising the lifespan of the technical equipment at your food production site. The advice within this article will help you to get the most out of your instrumentation – ensuring accurate results, audit compliance, and many years of effective use.

Prioritise durability when purchasing

The first step is to prioritise durability during the purchasing process. It is vital that you consider the environment the instrument will be entering into, along with the extent of the wear and tear it could face. You will then need to think about the properties that would help your equipment to withstand the harshest possible conditions. This could be anything from a waterproof rating to a resistance to corrosion.

Along with making your own judgements, you should also speak with your equipment provider. Ask them to share the design process behind the instrument and to highlight any updates that have been made to enhance its performance or extend its lifespan.

During these initial discussions, you should make a note of Manufacturer’s Guarantees, customer testimonials, case studies, and any promises surrounding calibration and repairs. You should also weigh up any higher costs or additional expenses against the long term savings you could secure through the purchase of a more durable model.

Evaluate your approach to storage

Once you have found the right instrument for your site, you should consider the way in which it is going to be stored. After all, some of the most common causes of equipment damage include:

  • Operatives dropping instruments or banging them against hard surfaces
  • Equipment being used, cleaned, or stored incorrectly for an extended period of time
  • Instruments falling off surfaces or out of lockers

All three examples risk damage to the internal components of a piece of equipment. This could lead to inaccurate results and a significantly shorter lifespan. Damage to the exterior of an instrument could also impact the readings you receive and could even relate to audit compliance, with inspectors left unimpressed by items that have clearly been handled with a lack of care.

To prevent this from happening, you should introduce Instrument Stations for the technical equipment at your site. By giving your equipment a dedicated home, you can ensure it is stored correctly and is always out of harm’s way when not in use.

As a result, your instrumentation will be protected from damage, will hold its accuracy, and will last much longer at your factory.

Instrument Stations also reduce the risk of missing equipment, as items will be returned to the same place after every shift.

If you are especially concerned about this, you can opt for lockable holders for extra security, with padlocks connecting the instrument to a secure bracket.

Another point to note about Instrument Stations is that they are designed to reflect the specific needs of your site. Whether it’s walls and machines or QA tables and mobile stations, they can go exactly where you need them. If the location you have in mind is magnetic, you could even opt for a magnetic Instrument Station that supports easy cleaning and a growing production environment.

Finally, Instrument Stations can be customised with company branding and key lines of text. This will allow you to reinforce essential information about how the equipment should be used, cleaned, and stored. You can also introduce additional holders for accompanying utensils such as wipes, pens, and clipboards.

Learn more about bespoke Instrument Stations

Provide ongoing training and reinforce key messaging

As mentioned above, improper use is another leading cause of equipment damage.

A prime example of this is the Food Oil Monitor. Food Oil Monitors are durable instruments that have been designed to stand the test of time. However, all too often, this piece of equipment will be damaged by operatives hitting them against a hard surface to shake off the oil. Some sites will also report issues with monitors that are in perfect condition and simply in need of an effective clean, especially around the sensor.

In this instance, as with so many others, ongoing training could make all the difference. By ensuring your operatives are aware of the correct practices for handling, cleaning, and storing equipment, you can reduce the number of avoidable incidents that take place at your factory.

Another way to achieve this is by introducing Visual Management to your site, an effective solution given that 90% of information is transmitted to the brain through images. This approach offers a fantastic opportunity for you to reinforce the key messages of your training through highly visual displays – driving standards of understanding and accountability across your workforce.

Indelimarking your equipment is another way to achieve this. The process uses specialist lasers to create a contrasting impression on a surface without compromising any hygiene or food safety requirements. As a result, it is ideal for a food factory environment and will allow you to assign equipment to set areas of your site, or even specific operatives.

Learn more about Visual Management Solutions

Evaluate your approach to cleaning the instrumentation at your site

The next step is to make sure your instrumentation is being cleaned correctly. In regards to the lifespan of your equipment, this is important for two reasons.

One, ineffective cleaning will result in a build-up of residue that could impact the results generated by your equipment and could lead to damage or breakage over time.

Two, improper cleaning could seriously compromise your equipment, upsetting the often sensitive components it relies on. Whether it’s using the wrong mix of cleaning chemicals or a brush with the wrong kind of bristle, this is an area where your team needs to be vigilant.

If you are unsure about the guidance you are giving your operatives, this is another conversation to have with your equipment provider. They will be able to explain the most effective way to conduct a clean and will know what cleaning chemicals your instrumentation can be exposed to. They should also be able to let you know if your team requires, or would benefit from, detail cleaning equipment. Once you have this information, you will be ready to update the Cleaning Instruction Cards at your site. These cards should be populated with plenty of helpful images, and ideally a visual comparison of an ‘acceptable’ and ‘unacceptable’ clean.

Embrace the importance of calibrations, service, and repairs

Last but not least, you need to ensure everyone at your site understands the correct process for calibration, services, and repairs. Otherwise, it is possible that an uninformed operative will prematurely discard equipment that could be returned to working order with just a quick and easy part repair or a minor adjustment during calibration.

It is also possible that your team will continue to use equipment that does not meet audit compliance, relying on incorrect and misleading results.

One solution is to make the most of Klipspringer’s online Equipment and Calibrations Portal,

This is a free service that allows you to set up automatic reminders for your calibrations, store your certification online for easy access, and find product codes from your previous orders at the click of a button.

Another important step is to make sure there is a clear chain of command in regards to the management of your technical equipment. All teams need to know how to report errors, what these potential errors might be, and how often each piece of instrumentation needs to be validated. It’s also important to highlight the ‘why?’ behind everything you are doing, as this will help to keep your team motivated and inspired. They need to understand that accurate instrumentation is essential for product quality, food safety, audit compliance, and the overall success of your site.

Discover Klipspringer servicing, repairs, and calibrations

That brings us to the end of our guide to maximising the lifespan of your technical equipment. We hope this article has highlighted the value of prioritising durable instrumentation and will help you to effectively protect your equipment once it has arrived at your site.

If you have any questions about the solutions shared within this article, you can contact us directly on 01473461800 or sales@klipspringer.com. Alternatively, you can fill out the contact form below and one of our friendly team members will be in touch. 

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