Resistant against the hardest ambient conditions

... is a food manufacturer based in the US. Since its founding in 1891, the company has developed into a versatile food manufacturer (meat products, pasta, eggs and edible oils) with a wide range of products. In the fiscal year 2016, the company generated revenue of $ 9.5 billion. Around 20,000 employees are employed worldwide.

The wheels are mounted on gondolas which are used in food processing. These gondolas operate in a cool and damp environment that is needed to avoid the spoilage of the food while being processed. The customer wanted to replace the original polyurethane wheels with cast iron wheel center because they were very heavy and had a low durability with rust on the wheel being a problem because of the regular high temperature wash down along with soaps used to clean the gondolas. The customer required a higher durability as the wheels travel on a concrete floor and experience a wash down several times a day, and impact resistance as the gondolas are raised and lowered on a regular basis to dump the contents.

After considering several competitor proposals, the customer chose the Blickle solution. Our wheel specialists combined a high quality nylon wheel center with the hydrolysis resistant polyurethane tread Blickle Besthane ® and added stainless ball bearings. By this means, the wheel is resistant to high wash down temperatures as well as the cool operating temperature while processing the food. The high quality Besthane® tread is casted, thus chemically bonded to the wheel center for an inseparable connection. The wheel therefore features a high tensile strength and is very durable.

After testing the gondolas equipped with the new Blickle wheels, the customer was very satisfied. By using the corrosion resistant wheels, the food manufacturer now saves a lot of replacement costs due to a higher durability and resistance to high temperatures and soaps. Furthermore, the comfort and ergonomics at the workplaces are increased as a result of the user-friendliness.