And then there were six: processor reduces lubricant inventory from 20 to six products by switching to synthetic, food-grade formulations.(FIELD REPORTS)

After studying maintenance records, officials at California Natural Products (CNP) were surprised to find that the company was using 20 different OEM-recommended, mineral oil-based greases and oils to maintain packaging equipment in its Savannah, GA, facility.

"When you're managing a maintenance program that includes that many lubricants, several inventory, incompatibility and misapplication issues can arise," says Steve Zimbelmann, maintenance supervisor for the company, which produces a variety of milk, rice and nutritional drinks. "We have a strong commitment to quality, food safety and customer service, so we are constantly pursuing ways to improve our operating procedures. Modifying and reducing the number of lubricants we were using seemed like a good way to begin streamlining our operations."

Zimbelmann says his company was interested in using synthetic, food-grade lubricants instead of mineral oil-based ones because recent advances in synthetic chemistries have resulted in new greases and oils that are safe for use in food machinery and provide improved equipment component protection in comparison to mineral oil-based products. Based on a prior successful experience with Anderol food-grade lubricants in CNP's Lathrop, CA, facility, Zimbelmann contacted the lubricant manufacturer to assist with the implementation of synthetic food-grade formulations in the Savannah plant. After an extensive lubricant audit, Anderol specialists were able to formulate a new maintenance strategy that eliminated 14 products from CNP's lubricant inventory.

"With our new ...