A large Gauteng bottling plant is reducing downtime and improving operational efficiency thanks to a range of ROCOL lubricants from leading supplier BI.

The ROCOL range of lubricants is certified for incidental contact situations at manufacturing plants, BI Product Manager Richard Lundgren explains. To date, BI has supplied the bottling plant with a variety of greases, chain and gear lubrication, hydraulic and compressor oils, anti-seize compounds, corrosion cleaners, and maintenance products.

The longstanding relationship with the beverage producer has extended three yeas to date, largely due to the complexity of the project, which has had to cater for every single lubrication application at the bottling plant. To put this into perspective, the bottling plant has over 5 000 bearing applications, with thousands of gearboxes in use, all of which required a specific lubrication solution.

The bottling plant has various production lines that make up the different stages of the production process. BI and ROCOL personnel initially conducted an exhaustive ‘walk-through’ of the bottling plant to ascertain pertinent information such as all lubrication points, machine and bearing numbers, and machine positioning, among others. This information formed the basis of a comprehensive solution from BI.

ROCOL Key Accounts Manager Richard Daley explains that colour-coded charts were devised to link applications with their respective lubrication requirements, so as to recommend the most effective product. Even the grease guns themselves were colour-coded in accordance with the application charts. In addition, the bottling plant artisans were informed how much grease was required to calibrate every pump, with this information displayed prominently on signage.

“The colour-coding system ensured that the correct type, quantity, and frequency of greasing was undertaken. The bottling plant’s storeroom has been demarcated clearly between food-safe and non-food safe products so as to avoid any possibility of cross-contamination,” ROCOL Product Manager Michael Daley elaborates.

The lubrication protocol is a critical factor for the beverage producer, in accordance with its own best-practice guidelines, and the stringent requirements of its international parent company. ROCOL lubricants were ideal in this regard, as they are ISO 21469 and ISO 9001 certified.

In conjunction with ROCOL, BI offers full on-site technical assistance, including product training. A BI branch in close proximity to the bottling plant ensures sufficient stockholding, which also assists in reducing any costly downtime.