Amid stringent health and hygiene standards in South Africa’s food and beverage industry, bearings and power transmission products distributor, Bearings International (BI), offers the industry a bearing solution that will ensure the highest health and hygiene standards in food processing plants.

“The well documented outbreak of the foodborne disease listeriosis in South Africa, which took place from January 2017 to March of this year, has reinforced the need for the highest hygiene levels to be maintained in food processing plants in South Africa” says BI marketing manager Victor Strobel, who emphasises that one needs to take every possible precaution when producing food and beverages, because the stakes are high and reputation is at stake.

Strobel states that the KML range of corrosion-resistant, food-grade bearings – distributed in Southern Africa by BI – sets the quality and hygiene benchmark in the food and beverage industry.

KML bearings are Food and Drug Administration approved, as well as Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point system approved. The Mobil FM22 food-grade grease is used in the KML bearings, while the inserts are made from 440C stainless steel for optimum raceway and ball bearing heat-treatment hardening. The flingers and retainers are made from 304 grade stainless steel for high corrosion resistance.

All housing units have smooth surfaces that can be cleaned easily with high-pressure washing equipment. The housings include stainless steel sleeves for fixing bolts and stainless steel grease fittings.

BI agriculture product manager Gerhard Pienaar explains that KML’s thermoplastic and stainless steel mounted food-processing bearings have been designed specifically to deal with frequent washing, contaminants, exposure to cleaning agents, and constant temperature changes.

“Food and beverage processing machinery is the most challenging for bearing unit performance. However, the KML housings more than meet the specific requirements for materials used in food and beverage equipment,” he highlights.

KML offers various types of mounted units for the food and beverage industry, made of standard composite and thermoplastic units. The mounted composite housings resist corrosion from processing chemicals and frequent washings. The units also have greater shock resistance than typical cast iron, comprising high-grade glass-filled thermoplastic polyester. In addition, they are interchangeable with conventional cast iron housings.

The thermoplastic units are maintenance-free, with high mechanical strength and stability. The smooth surfaces are more hygienic than cast iron housings, where the rougher surfaces may harbour harmful dirt, mould or bacteria.

Special features of the KML bearings include their ability to reduce the number of interfaces by integrating functions, a compact design, and the fact that they require no maintenance, as they are lubricated throughout their life span. All components and subsystems are matched precisely to one another.

Strobel assures that the KML range’s resistance to corrosion results in minimal plant maintenance, improves plant hygiene levels, offers customers peace of mind, and minimises costly downtime associated with repairs and maintenance.

The KML bearings are ideal for use in various applications where they are exposed to moisture, and corrosive and abrasive conditions, such as in food-processing and packaging plants; beverage, brewing and bottling plants; meat, poultry and seafood processing plants; the dairy industry; sugar processing; pharmaceuticals; chemicals; rubber and plastic; pulp and paper mills; marine and naval applications; car washes; refrigeration and freezer plants; agricultural harvesting plants and machinery; municipal; and a range of materials handling machinery and conveyor systems.

BI states that it has supplied this product for three years on the Southern African market, and has recently seen a spike in demand in the local agricultural and food and beverage industry within the last year.