A new handling system supplied by specialist manufacturer Gough Engineering and designed for KP Foods' hula-hoop plant in Leicestershire, UK, is set to increase production efficiency and ensure the continued quality of the leading snack foods.
KP Foods plan to install two new Gough elevators at their hula-hoop production site. The system comprises elevator buckets which are the key feature. They have been designed to be quick and easily removable to allow thorough cleaning and replacement, with minimum downtime. In comparison, the existing elevators have proven far less efficient in the cleaning process, which has created a barrier to increasing productivity.
Gough said that due to the low maintenance and reliability of its equipment already installed at KP's various plants, production managers at the Lincolnshire site decided to upgrade the equipment using its technology. The contract is the latest in a series of installations completed by the Staffordshire-based company, a leading supplier of handling equipment to the food industry for over 50 years.
Gough specialise in designing handling systems which incorporate a number of features essential in food and food ingredient applications. At the Hula Hoops factory, their elevator systems will transport the snack product from the ground floor fryer to a hopper prior to packaging.
The design of the elevator buckets and chains ensure that products are transported gently and without any degradation or damage. The bucket path is designed in such a way that, as it travels through the inlet station, all gaps are eliminated and, together with the unique pivoting action, prevents any spillage or waste, thus maintaining a high standard of hygiene in the system. Gough elevators are designed, engineered and manufactured in the UK.
For more information on this system and other Gough products please click here.