ODIN Engineering is a permanent business partner for CP Kelco. When the company was challenged by broken pumps and increased maintenance due to plastic threads in the production, they cooperated with ODIN on the development of a simple and efficient solution.
CP Kelco is the largest pectin factory in the world and one of the largest production companies on Zealand. The plant operates 24 hours a day all year round, and it places special demands on the production process, says Kurt F. Madsen, Process Engineer at CP Kelco:
”In order to keep CP Kelco at the forefront of the production field, it’s important that we constantly maintain, develop and optimise our production equipment. When we found that the plastic threads produced when cutting the PE sacks with raw materials was a problem for production, we developed a first prototype.”
Customised machine developed in cooperation
The company then contacted ODIN Engineering to further develop the prototype and get it CE marked.
”ODIN has a good understanding of our challenges, and they immediately saw the point in our prototype. We then aligned expectations at a common brainstorm, where we discussed all aspects of the task and clarified our requirements for functionality. And then ODIN started the development work,” says Kurt F. Madsen.
When we cooperate with ODIN, we can clearly see how important it is for them to deliver a proper product.
Kurt F. Madsen, process Engineer at CP Kelco
A simple and robust quality solution
In the development process, CP Kelco and ODIN Engineering met several times to ensure that the solution matched CP Kelco’s requirements in terms of maintenance, durability and reliability. At the same time, the ongoing sparring ensured that the solution was based on all available knowledge and know-how, and that it was customised to CP Kelco’s production equipment.
”At CP Kelco we prefer simple and robust solutions that can withstand 24/7 operation year round. When we cooperate with ODIN, we can clearly see how important it is for them to deliver a proper product. They take responsibility and spend time understanding, and this means that we always get a solution that just works,” says Kurt F. Madsen.
Significant savings on maintenance
The simple and robust solution to CP Kelco’s problems with plastic threads in productions was to replace the knives that cut the PE bags. The traditional rotary knives were replaced by a piece of hot steel. The steel is heated to 280 degrees by a heating element, so it can open the PE sacks by melting a stripe in them. At the same time, the hot steel prevents the sacks from fraying, as it melts the threads in the sacks together.
”With the new solution, plastic threads are no longer interrupting production and getting stuck in the biogas plant that handles the residual product from our pectin production. As a result, we have a more common maintenance today, as we no longer need to change pipes and clean plastic threads from tanks and pumps on a weekly basis. The solution therefore also means a significant saving for our maintenance department,” says Kurt F. Madsen.
In continuation of the cooperation with CP Kelco in Denmark, ODIN Engineering’s solution is also to be installed at CP Kelco’s German factory in Grossenbrode.