PECM Issue 23 2016 | Page 73

Before they are filled, all receptacles going through the plant are washed in line with international food safety management standards, such as ISO 22000. With this in mind, Coca-Cola HBC needed a water treatment system that did not rely on the use of halogen-based disinfectants and was specifically designed to ensure minimal disruption to operations. Bringing ESG on board Over the last 15 years, ESG, the UK’s leading testing, inspection and compliance company, has been working with CocaCola HBC Ireland and Northern Ireland, maintaining a range of ozone water treatment equipment at its production plant in County Antrim. Two OCS 100 water disinfection units installed in the plant currently provide Coca-Cola HBC with ozonised, reclaimable water on two bottle washing lines. These highly reliable devices use state of the art technology which results in minimal oxygen demand and energy consumption. Since the contract began in 2002, ESG’s water treatment team, which specialises in non-chemical disinfection methods, has been carrying out regular, quarterly maintenance of the ozone systems, helping ensure uninterrupted operations within the plant. Having been impressed by ESG’s maintenance services over the years, Coca-Cola HBC has made several advancements on its original contract, the most recent of which being the purchase of a remote monitoring and control option. The new upgrade to the ozone equipment allows ESG to remotely access the system from any location and make alterations to the programming from offsite. By using the machines, the company is also able to save around 50 litres of cooling water for every minute of operation. Mick Pratt, commercial director, ESG, commented: “Over the last 15 years, ESG has worked with Coca-Cola HBC Ireland and Northern Ireland to ensure a smooth and reliable service. The recent upgrade means the Water Treatment Team can login to the units from ESG’s office in Thame, Oxfordshire, and monitor the system in real time, making any changes instantly and remotely if required. “Due to the highly dependable nature of the equipment, ESG hasn’t had a call out to conduct emergency maintenance on the system in over two years. Even so, its service engineers are always at the end of a phone if any issues need to be resolved and can be on site to provide support within hours of a call. Jim McCambley, engineering services manager, Coca-Cola HBC, added: “We were very proud to be recently named beverage leader in sustainability for a third consecutive year, and locally we are pleased to say that our efforts have contributed to these results. “In our Lisburn plant, we have reduced water usage by 13% over the last five years and are on track to achieve our 2020 commitments in this area. With our advanced water treatment system, we have complete assurance that products are sanitised in the most efficient and effective manner, without the need to use any halogen-based biocides. As the machines use reclaimable water for their cooling systems, this helps us to minimise consumption and continually achieve these internal targets.” For more information about ESG’s water treatment services, visit www.esg.co.uk/ our-services/built-environment/ water-management www.esg.co.uk Issue 23 PECM 73