Wine Production

"Seamless transition for the company, improved process and efficiency"

the challenge

An award-winning family-owned US-based winery that crushes, presses, ferments, bottles, and labels all of their wines at their winery repeatedly faced challenges with seal reliability due to use of EPDM gaskets. These issues persisted through various stages of the winemaking process, particularly during the sterilization procedures between each batch. The subsequent leaks created problems in production reliability, housekeeping, and potential contamination.
The company required a more sanitary and reliable product to increase efficiency and assist in the protection of a sensitive product, whilst remaining compliant with industry standards. Most importantly to the company was to prevent any adulteration of their award-winning wine.

the solution

After all compliance documentation had been supplied and reviewed, the company gave us permission to carry out product trials. We recommended the implementation of new styles and materials for their active connections, as the compression and recovery characteristics would be ideal for low-pressure sanitary connections and vessel seals.

the result

After successful trials, the company was able to prolong the service life of gaskets, even through extended sterilization cycles. Furthermore, shelf life is no longer an issue to the company after switching to a non-elastomeric product, allowing them to stock ample replacement parts for all regular and emergency requirements. Overall, switching to a taste-tested and approved sealing product ensured this was a seamless transition for the company, improving its process and efficiency.