C.F. Sauer Company kept its new facility in New Century, Kansas, CFS West Holdings, under wraps until just a few months before the doors opened. The systems in the new plant, however, were no secret to the Richmond, Virginia-based company.
The new plant was built for producing margarine and salad dressing to accommodate Sauer's consolidating customer base. The margarine system was modeled after the Richmond plant, according to Gib Stevenson, vice president. "In 1996 we updated the process in our other margarine plant and used that for a test bed for what we were going to do here."
The upgrades he is referring to included Votator® II scraped surface heat exchangers from Waukesha Cherry-Burrell. Although the results were positive in the Richmond plant, Stevenson still looked around at other scraped surface heat exchangers when the New Century plant was being designed. "I looked at all the scrape suppliers. I had some real history with Votator and didn't see anything that appeared better, so we stuck with that."
Waukesha Cherry-Burrell's local distributor, The Williams Carver Company, Kansas City, Kansas, stepped in to help CFS West during the start up phase of the margarine system, a time when responsiveness was critical, Stevenson notes. "They're here in an hour or two. They are skilled people. The field and factory service has always been good."
CFS West incorporated single-cylinder, horizontal Votators throughout several margarine production lines. Stevenson says that the primary advantage Votators have over other manufacturers is availability of parts and service.
The Votator's boltless V-lock heads allow for removal of the shaft for inspection or routine maintenance in minutes without any tools. Scraper blades are secured to the mutator shaft by the Votator II universal mounting pins, and are easily and quickly removed and replaced. The mechanical seal doesn't require thermal heating for replacements. The design of the stainless steel body holds the rotating ring securely in place.
After servicing or inspection, the Votator II reassembles quickly. The self-aligning spline end of the mutator shaft inserts into the hollow shaft in the gear motor drive. There are no complex shaft couplings, no stub shaft alignment or drive belts to service.
Each margarine line utilizes Waukesha Universal II positive displacement pumps. Designed for sanitary applications, the pumps combine 3-way mounting versatility with new features that extend pump life and improve sanitary performance. The Universal II Series includes seven models that are rated for 300 psi or more. Three models have a maximum rating between 450 and 500 psi.
CFS West also installed Universal pumps in the salad dressing production lines. In choosing these pumps, the company again deferred to past experience. "We have another mayonnaise plant in South Carolina and they went through a series of pump suppliers and settled on Waukesha. And I had tried some other lobe-type pumps in our margarine plant in Virginia and came back to Waukesha. So in this plant, we didn't shop around much, we specified them. They are relatively simple, and they work."