FCM Saves $165k in Replacement Cost

A medium sized Midwest co-packer sought to replace their piston homogenizer being used to emulsify canola oil into their processed cheese sauce. The piston homogenizer had reached the end of its lifespan and was no longer effective or efficient, with repair costs estimated at $500-600 a month.

Having learned the cost to replace the piston homogenizer with a new one was approximately $200,000, they reached out to their Fristam distributor, from whom they’ve purchased other Fristam equipment, to see if there was a better, less costly way to emulsify their product. Fristam recommended they trial a Fristam FCM colloid mixer on the application. With a list price of $35,000, the FCM was substantially more affordable at just one-sixth the cost of a new piston homogenizer.

An FCM was brought in to emulsify the canola oil into processed cheese sauce. Previously, their old piston homogenizer used a 75 hp motor that could emulsify 60 gallons a minute; however they were restricted to 15-20 gallons a minute because the homogenizer generated too much heat for their system plate heat exchanger to cool at the higher rate.

With Fristam’s FCM they were now able to use a 40 hp motor on the application, a nearly 50% reduction in operating costs of the motor, and they also were able to increase the flow rate to 50 gpm, without the increased heat they experienced with their homogenizer. This improvement allowed them to finish batches 2.5 times faster than before. Additionally, since the FCM is CIP’able without bypass or disassembly, the processor saw significant savings in maintenance time and effort.

Not only did the FCM consistently produce the exact shear required for the emulsion, it provided the processor with significant savings in purchase cost, parts and repair costs, power costs, processing times, and maintenance time and effort.

The customer was so pleased that they purchased the trial unit and an additional unit to process other products.