Resolving supply chain issues and improving efficiency

Parker has developed a strong relationship with a large contract wine packing company. The customer receives deliveries of bulk wine in 24,000 litre flexibags and 26,000 litre rigid tanks, which is offloaded under inert gasses into stainless steel tanks.

Previously, the customer had been using lenticular filters in its filtration processes at the tanker offloading stage. The wine would be passed through the lenticular filters if it had failed FI testing prior to being offloaded from tankers – typically this failure would be due to the wine having a high sugar and yeast content, often attributed to unfavourable environmental conditions during harvest. In addition, FI testing was carried out on the wine prior to the transfer from the storage tank – if a requirement for pre-conditioning prior to the filling stage was identified, lenticular filters would again be employed by the customer.

As the demand for lenticular filters increased, due to more product shipments failing FI testing, the company also began to experience supply problems, which could have impacted on the productivity and efficiency of its bottling operations. 

Parker Solution

After investigating the customer’s challenge, Parker recommended that they trial Parker’s PREPOR NG filters – which have been designed for pre-stabilisation applications in wine and other beverages – as an alternative to the lenticular filters.

Parker determined that 0.5 µm PREPOR NG filters, would be able to meet the flow rate and sterilising grade specification set out by the customer. Parker’s PREPOR NG filters, which were developed in collaboration with beverage producers, are validated for yeast removal and bacterial reduction, and feature a mechanically strong and chemically resistant polypropylene construction.

Results

The trial was a success, with the customer identifying that after filtering wine with PREPOR NG it reached the acceptable FI level more effectively than the equivalent process using a lenticular filter. This has given the bottler a viable, long-term alternative to using lenticular filters, with a robust local supply chain, and by using Parker’s PREPOR NG filters, it has been able to continue processing wine with high levels of yeast, sugar and sediment.

Parker PREPOR NG filters are also more cost effective than lenticular alternatives, and by adopting these filters, the bottler has reduced the charge back costs for its end customers. As the bottler was already using Parker’s PREPOR NG filters in other parts of the site, they were familiar with SOPs, cleaning procedures, filter technology and associated hardware: this has helped them to ensure the filters are reaching their optimum performance levels and maximum lifespans, while reducing operational complexity.