Cleanliness is next to godliness – even when it comes to oat products
Kiilto is the main supplier of cleaning and hygiene products for Raisio Group’s new plant manufacturing oat-based products. Kiiltonians have also assisted with the implementation and optimisation of the plant’s surface and CIP cleaning solutions.
In August, Raisio Group opened a new plant manufacturing oat-based products.
“There’s been an oat boom going on in Finland for many years now. And it seems to be picking up speed,” says Plant Manager Jussi Kosomaa contentedly.
Almost every Finn is familiar with Elovena oatmeal, and many are also familiar with the snack biscuits of the same name. Thanks to the new plant, there will be even more products available under the Elovena brand. For instance, Elovena oat drinks, spoonable oat snacks and oat-based cooking products have already hit the shelves.
However, these aren’t the only oat-based goods produced at the plant. Raisio, another famous brand, recently launched Benecol® OAT shots and drinks – the first oat-based product line to contain cholesterol-lowering plant stano lester.
“We only use Finnish oats from our own mill in the town of Nokia, southern Finland. Our products are vegan and gluten-free,” says Kosomaa.
Impressive customer service from Kiilto
Jussi Kosomaa emphasises how vital cleanliness and good hygiene are for the food industry. In his eyes, Kiilto was the ideal choice of partner to meet these needs.
“One of our key selection criteria was customer service. Already in the tender phase, Kiilto and its support organisation were very convincing. I’m glad to say that the collaboration has been very smooth,” continues Kosomaa.
The right detergents for each application
Process Development Engineer Krister Kumpulainen is particularly pleased with Kiilto’s service availability.
“Kiiltonians are close by and ready to come to the factory even at a short notice. This has been really helpful, as the implementation of the new plant has been a major undertaking. There’s also been a lot to think about in terms of washing and cleaning.”
According to Kumpulainen, the collaboration started right away when the process equipment provided by Tetrapak arrived at the plant and the cleaning commenced.
“Kiilto has helped us select the ideal product for each application. Detergents are always determined by the application in question and the product to be manufactured. For instance, in applications using cooking oil, the detergent must be able to remove grease effectively.”
Significant savings with optimisation
Kiiltonians have also assisted with the implementation and optimisation of clean-in-place (CIP) cleaning and the surface cleaning of the plant’s production facilities.
“Optimising the amount of chemicals and water used as well as energy consumption benefits both the company and the environment. In large-scale processes, even small adjustments can lead to significant savings,” points out Kumpulainen.
“And, naturally, optimisation is always carried out without compromising on the cleaning result,” says technical specialist Jarmo Kyytsönen.
Kumpulainen believes that the collaboration between the plant and Kiilto will remain close.
“When we gain more experience over a longer period of time in CIP, amongst other areas, we can optimise the processes even further.”
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