The Story Of The Forgetful Driver Costing You £££!
In September the 2015 PPMA show was held at the Birmingham NEC. The show provided us with great opportunities to talk to people from the entire spectrum of the Food and Beverage industry.
On the second day of the show I was talking to a couple of engineers from a well-known UK Dairy company. I say talking but the reality was that they had come to look at some equipment and whilst passing, our display had caught their eye and they had paused for a millisecond. This was just enough for me to introduce myself and ask “Can I help you?” They were “just browsing”, a term I am familiar with whenever I am out shopping with my wife. “Just browsing” is something we all do and it basically means “I am here not because I want to be”. All I wanted were some trousers. This took me 5 minutes to pick as I knew exactly what I wanted and where from. Now I am dragged around against my will. “No, I do not want to know about your special prices, nor am I interested in a membership that will save me 15% on my next purchase of high fashion” Anyway, back to the engineers; they had no requirements for hygienic process valves, no upcoming installation (other than the equipment they were there to see). Basically there was nothing Dixon Europe, with the most comprehensive hygienic proposition in the UK, could offer to them…Until I asked a simple question…
- Me: Have you ever had a Milk Tanker drive away from your loading bay without disconnecting the delivery hose first?
- Engineer : Ummm, yes it happened last week…
- Me: Did it cause any damage to your pipeline?
- Engineer: Yes, yes it did! It ripped the piping and we had to re-install at a cost of thousands. It took us 4 days.
- Me: What if I told you we have a product that could have allowed you to be back operational within 10 minutes and costs a fraction of what it cost you to repair the pipeline?
- Engineer: Ok tell me more (No longer browsing)!!
The product I proposed was the Dixon Hygienic Breakaway Coupling, a solution to a problem that has existed ever since tankers have delivered goods to process plants. In the unfortunate incident where a tanker is still attached to the loading pipe/arm and drives off, it will take with it the majority of the pipes and cause damage measured in the thousands. In such instance the Dixon Hygienic Breakaway Coupling will break in two, separating the tanker from the loading bay. The 13kN break load bolts are the only items that will need replacing after such incident. As the Hygienic Breakaway couplings are designed with hygienic processing in mind you can be assured that they conform to FDA standards and are CIP capable.
Once I had explained how Dixon can be “The Right Connection”, I had two new friends in the form of these engineers at the Dairy.
In the following weeks our Sales Manager visited the site and demonstrated the product benefits to the entire team at the UK Dairy company. Everyone was happy with the solution and willing to place orders.
Now this is where most success stories end and it would have if it was not for a simple comment; “It would have been better if it also shut off the flow.” As a matter of fact these do exist but due to their intricate inner workings, they cannot be certified as hygienic although they are manufactured in accordance to FDA guidelines for material. Cost is another restriction as they can be thousands of pounds for a single unit.
Dixon has a long established history in listening to its clients. Our founder Mr Goodall almost 100 years ago was walking through construction sites at Hoover Dam asking everyone what challenges they had with their couplings. Household names such as Boss couplings have been developed by listening to those engineers at Hoover Dam. When we are challenged with a request like the one we got from the Dairy company, it is in our DNA to ask ourselves “How can we do this?” rather than “Sorry, this is what we’ve got.” It does not matter if we have an innovative product that is already a solution to a problem in a Breakaway. Can we design and produce one that will also eliminate product loss?
Let us introduce you to the DIXON HYGIENIC BREAK AWAY CHECK VALVE!
An innovative solution that incorporates the Dixon Hygienic Breakaway Coupling and Hygienic Check Valve. It acts as a single unit that has a diverted breaking point which will break at a determined break-load. Then the check valve will close therefore protecting the loading bay pipe system AND avoiding product spillage.
Dairy Case Study-Accidental Drive away at loading bay 2.5” Hygienic Union Connection
| Without Dixon Break Away Check Value | With Dixon Break Away Check Valve |
|---|---|
| £9,500 in pipeline damage | Small initial outlay for DHBAC |
| Loading bay out of commission for 4 days |
£0 in pipeline damage only costs associated are for breakaway bolts |
| Unspecified product loss | Loading bay out of commission for only 10min |
| Very minimal product loss |
Considering the information, can you afford to not install Dixon Hygienic Breakaway Check valve to your loading bays? I did not think so…
Next time you see a Dixon member come and talk to us, you never know how quickly we can become your “Right Connection.
