HpE Process cuts the amount of waste generated by sauces for Unilever as it celebrates BSS Systems partnership
The firm based in Yorkshire, UK, supplies fluid handling equipment to customers Mondelez, Nestle, Premier Foods and Heineken, including pumps, valves, pigging systems, stainless steel manways and access lids.
Opportunity for growth
Andrew Allman, MD, HpE Process told FoodProductionDaily the collaboration with BSS Systems will benefit both companies.
“We supply the hygienic process equipment for food factories,” he said.
“BSS supply the parts and spares for the factories. This agreement puts our parts on their lists so major manufacturers who prefer one supplier can access our products via their preferred stockist.
“They are all crucial to the process as well as in those areas that BSS really excel.
“Many larger companies out there prefer single sourcing arrangements. So there is a lot of opportunity for HpE Process.”
Saving waste for Unilever Foods Knorr
According to HpE, waste is a major issue for food manufacturing.
Unilever recently asked HpE Process to cut the amount of waste being generated when producing sauces for the industry.
“There were various difficulties that were specific to the product, which we had to overcome,” added Allman.
Unilever’s sauces contained freshly cooked vegetables that needed to be kept whole. It was also a hot-fill process.
“We supplied a 3” Premisphere product recovery system, product pump and valves.
“Premisphere has helped Unilever to recover 200 litres of every 3000 litres of Knorr product they manufacture. This was previously sent to drain.
“This is what we do best and our team rose to the challenge,” he said.
Difficulties in the industry
While HpE has success with product recovery and hygienic fluids handling, the biggest companies are looking at single sourcing.
“BSS is helping us out with that and what we have found is their customers will ring us directly, we will sort out an issue and then we will put it back to the supply chain with BSS,” said Allman.
“It is all about promoting what we do and is something we will continue to do in our partnership with BSS.”
A growth area HpE mentioned is the move towards ready meals in the UK and the rest of Europe.
“This is even becoming big in countries such as Italy – the home of home cooked food. There is an increasing need for ready meal production,” added Allman.
“Given the nature of ready meals, they have to be prepared properly, safely and that is everything that we do,”
He added the partnership with BSS will open up a lot of prospects in the food industry.
“BSS has more than 60 branches throughout the UK, and are in a position to give an increased coverage of HpE products into the market place,” said Allman.
“We have already seen an increase in sales in the first quarter of 2015 compared to quarter one in 2014.
“The big, multi-nationals are happy sticking with the size and flexibility of BSS and we can slot nicely into that as an additional stream for them. So it’s a positive outlook.”
