With the global population continuing to rise the demands on food manufacturers are increasing every year. Depending on the type of food products manufactured, there have been vast changes in the methods of food processing in the industry with automation in production being one of the key changes in the last several years that has enabled manufacturers to keep up with global demand.
Yet the ability to keep machines running is a day-to-day challenge as the need for heightened cleanliness creates a wet environment for many food makers, wreaking havoc on processing machinery which results in parts needing replacing quickly… and parts that may no longer be available.
That’s where the decades of expertise at Kirkstall Precision Engineering comes in, highlights Operations Director Iqbal Bahia, when we sat down to discuss all things food manufacturing with him.
“We are currently supplying to medium sized food manufactures precision machined parts that have either been worn or have been damaged. Or the plant and equipment has been discontinued and parts and drawings are no longer available, hence require reverse engineering and new manufacturing drawings need to be created by our production engineering team… and more and more we are finding the original OEM can’t help or are taking too long to supply.”
A recognised partner for precision engineering parts for the food manufacturing sector.
“Our vision for this sector is to establish Kirkstall Precision as recognised partner as a key supplier for precision engineered parts to the OEM’s as well as food and beverage manufactures”. Continued Iqbal, “We can help them to become more competitive by helping to reduce down-time on lines with reliable solutions for new parts, spare parts and stock items.”
But speed of response and the ability to recreate parts without schematics is just one element of Kirkstall Precision Engineering’s success in this sector. Another key aspect is the ability to meet key regulatory requirements to give clients confidence in the cleanliness and standards of the parts they receive.
Kirkstall Precision Engineering’s Managing Director, Adam Thornton, added: “This is a very regulated health critical sector. Full traceability and conformity to international standards as well as having in place OEM quality agreements are key to why we are a trusted supplier for food manufacturers. We pride ourselves in providing confidence to our customers with our processes, our systems, our latest cutting-edge technology as well as our technical ability to be solution providers.”
Kirkstall’s food manufacturing regulatory credentials.
Kirkstall Precision Engineering has worked hard to ensure it achieves the required standards to operate in this area. As well as having ISO9001:2015 and ISO13485:2016 Kirkstall is also FDA registered. Documented feedback from recent governing body audits have positioned Kirkstall Precision as best in class with their business management systems for both these standards.
Kirkstall also comply to the quality agreements of major medical OEM’s and fulfil all the needs of their rigorous audit requirements. With regards to product cleanliness, Installation and validation of second new clean line is now in process for completion 3rd Quarter this year and Kirkstall are currently evaluating ISO:14001 Environmental Management system to further demonstrate their commitment to environmental sustainability in manufacturing.
Summing up Kirkstall’s beliefs in the supply of precision parts to the food manufacturing sector, Iqbal Bahia commented that: “Kirkstall Precision has embedded in its DNA unprecedented competencies and a knowledge base to specialise in manufacturing for tightly regulated sectors, where the quality and On Time Delivery (OTD) of a product are a given. Our business management systems and manufacturing technologies ensures business security, confidence and continuity for all our customers in any sector.”