Say goodbye to dust, dirt, and contamination risks—the new double-sided Pipetites provide a smarter, more hygienic way to seal pipe penetrations.
Designed for ultimate flexibility, these innovative seals allow movement without compromising hygiene or creating gaps where unwanted particles can enter.
Key Benefits:
✅ Hygienic, dust-tight sealing from both sides
✅ Accommodates pipe movement without damage
✅ Simple installation and long-lasting durability
✅ Ideal for hygienic industries like food, beverage, dairy, and pharma
With double-sided Pipetites, you can maintain higher standards of hygiene while reducing downtime and maintenance.
Want to know more? Get in touch with ITS today to upgrade your site’s sealing solutions 01675 465191 / sales@industrialtradingsolutions.com or visit
At Industrial Trading Solutions Ltd, our dedicated in‑house servicing centre is fully equipped to support your valves and pumps – keeping downtime to a minimum.
Send your equipment directly to us for:
⚙️Fast turnaround
⚙️Detailed investigation and diagnosis
⚙️Professional repair and servicing
Based at our specialist facility in Coleshill, West Midlands, our experienced team ensures your assets are restored efficiently, reliably, and ready for service.
When performance matters and time is critical, trust ITS to keep your operation moving.
This April edition of our ITS Flow Time Newsletter highlights the latest project updates, showcases recent on-site servicing work, and explores new developments across our hygienic pump and fluid handling solutions.
We also take a closer look at the people behind the process and the continued growth across the ITS team.
Some machines don’t just support production; they become part of the story. If your Vak Kimsa agitator has been reliably spinning for years (or even decades), now’s the time to give it the recognition it deserves.
Vak Kimsa has launched the #VVKChallenge, celebrating the longest‑running VK agitators in operation, and the reward is not just bragging rights. 🏆
Share the story of your oldest VK agitator
🎁 Win a brand‑new Vak Kimsa agitator – FREE
It’s a great way to honour equipment that’s delivered consistent performance over time, while taking the opportunity to upgrade.
When choosing a liquid filtration solution, price and performance often steal the spotlight – but maintenance deserves equal attention.
A filter’s value doesn’t stop at how well it performs in production. It should be easy to clean, quick to service, and straightforward to maintain, without specialist support or costly downtime.
What really makes a difference?
• Simple, tool-free access
• Minimal moving parts
• Fast changeovers and reduced downtime
From paint and cheese whey to chocolate and beyond, every application has one thing in common: maintenance is unavoidable.
Choosing a filtration system designed with this in mind can save time, money, and frustration over its lifetime.
Because the best filters don’t just work well – they work with you.
Need to discuss which HiFlux Filtration A/S filtration system is best suited to your process?📞 01675 621014 📧sales@industrialtradingsolutions.com
Are Your Pumps Truly Running at Peak Efficiency Year After Year?
Another busy week on-site for the ITS Servicing & Maintenance team, supporting an annual scheduled maintenance programme for a well-known food manufacturer operating across the bakery and packaged snack sector.
Dan Hinton and Connor Littlewood dedicated the week, onsite, to detailed pump servicing across PDP Pumps, Twin Screw & OptiLobe; alongside Centrifugal SolidC Pumps used in bakery processing.
Each unit was carefully inspected and maintained, including:
🔧 Replacement of elastomers across all wetted ends
🔧 Mechanical seal servicing (including cartridge seals)
🔧 Inspection of screws, rotors, and impellers
🔧 Wear checks for pitting, cracking, and general degradation
After a full programme of preventative maintenance and a final day of commissioning, all equipment was confirmed to be operating as expected, with no major issues identified.
💡 Our approach:
Routine, planned servicing doesn’t just fix problems – it prevents them. Consistent annual maintenance helps ensure long-term reliability, efficiency, and reduced unplanned downtime.
👏 Another system kept in safe hands with the ITS Servicing team.
Still using timers in dairy UHT? You’re losing product.
In this Anderson-Negele case story, Söbbeke Dairy replaced time-based phase transitions with real-time turbidity control. Improving phase transition wasn’t just about efficiency – it was about reducing waste and driving sustainability.
By switching to the ITM-51 turbidity sensor, they achieved:
✅ 118 litres saved per phase transition ✅ Real-time product-to-water separation ✅ Automated, consistent process control
❔Why it matters
💡Timers’ guess. Turbidity measures.
With fast, precise detection, the ITM-51 maximises product recovery while reducing waste and resource use in dairy UHT processing.
🔹Better yield. Less waste. Smarter dairy processing.
Let’s start a conversation, get in touch with our ITS Technical Sales team 📞01675620914 📧sales@industrialtradingsolutions.com – or if you already have a pump in your process that needs a routine maintenance check, our ITS Servicing Team is readily available to support you 📞 01675 621014 📧servicing@industrialtradingsolutions.com
In industries where product purity is non-negotiable, microbial contamination remains one of the most persistent operational risks. From pharmaceutical manufacturing and biotech processing to food, beverage, and high-purity water systems, even minor breaches in filtration integrity can compromise product quality, trigger costly recalls, and damage regulatory standing. While filter media often receive the most attention, the housing that contains and supports the filtration system plays an equally critical role in contamination control.
High-integrity filter housings are designed to do more than hold cartridges in place. They help maintain a sealed, sanitary, and validated filtration environment that reduces the risk of microbial ingress, supports cleaning and sterilisation, and ensures consistent process performance. Choosing the right housing can significantly strengthen contamination prevention strategies across critical production lines.
Why Microbial Contamination Still Occurs
Microbial contamination can enter a process through multiple routes: inadequate sealing, dead legs in equipment design, poor drainability, damaged components, or ineffective cleaning between batches. In sterile and hygienic applications, these risks are amplified by moisture, temperature variation, and repeated handling during filter changeovers.
Even when high-performance filter cartridges are installed, the system is only as reliable as its weakest mechanical point. A poorly designed or worn housing can create micro-gaps, harbour residual product, or introduce hard-to-clean surfaces where bacteria and biofilms may develop. Over time, these vulnerabilities can undermine the full value of the filtration step.
The Role of High-Integrity Filter Housings
A high-integrity filter housing is engineered to maintain a robust barrier between the process stream and the surrounding environment. Its purpose is to protect sterile conditions, preserve filter performance, and prevent bypass or contamination during normal operation, cleaning, and maintenance.
These housings are typically used in applications where process security is essential, including:
Sterile filtration in pharmaceutical production
bioburden reduction in biotech systems
ingredient and final product protection in food and beverage lines
purified water and WFI systems
electronics and fine chemical manufacturing
In each of these settings, housing quality directly affects the reliability of the filtration process.
Key Design Features That Support Contamination Prevention
🔹Sanitary Construction
High-integrity housings are commonly manufactured from polished stainless steel, often 316L, to provide corrosion resistance and a smooth, cleanable surface. Internal finishes are carefully controlled to minimise roughness, reducing the likelihood of microbial attachment and product hold-up.
Sanitary construction also includes crevice-free welds, hygienic connections, and surfaces that resist build-up. These details matter because contamination often takes hold in microscopic imperfections that are difficult to detect but easy for microbes to exploit.
🔹 Secure Sealing and Closure Systems
One of the most important contamination control functions of a filter housing is maintaining a reliable seal. High-integrity systems use precisely machined sealing surfaces, robust closure mechanisms, and compatible gasket materials to prevent external ingress and internal bypass.
A secure closure reduces the risk of contamination during pressure fluctuations, thermal cycling, and repeated opening and closing for maintenance. In critical environments, even small inconsistencies in sealing can have significant consequences.
🔹Dead-Leg Reduction
Dead legs and stagnant zones create ideal conditions for microbial growth. High-integrity housings are designed with streamlined flow paths and minimal internal voids to support full product contact and effective cleaning. Improved flow dynamics also reduce product retention and enhance process efficiency.
A housing that drains completely after use or cleaning is far less likely to support microbial survival between production runs.
🔹Cleanability and Sterilisability
For contamination-sensitive operations, housings must withstand routine CIP and SIP procedures without compromising structural integrity or seal performance. High-integrity models are designed for repeated exposure to cleaning chemicals, steam, and elevated temperatures.
This enables operators to validate cleaning processes more confidently and maintain hygienic conditions without frequent component failure or performance drift.
🔹Mechanical Strength and Process Stability
A housing exposed to changing pressures, temperatures, and flow rates must maintain its integrity under real operating conditions. High-integrity housings are built to resist deformation and fatigue, helping ensure the filter remains properly seated and the process stays sealed.
This stability is especially important in sterile filtration, where pressure spikes or improper cartridge fit can create bypass events that are difficult to detect until downstream quality issues emerge.
Supporting Validation and Regulatory Compliance
In regulated sectors, contamination prevention is not just best practice; it is a documented requirement. Filter housings that are designed for integrity, traceability, and validation can simplify compliance efforts by supporting repeatable performance and easier inspection.
Manufacturers often look for housings that offer:
material traceability
surface finish documentation
pressure and design qualification data
compatibility with validated cleaning and sterilisation procedures
designs aligned with sanitary and aseptic processing expectations
A well-specified housing makes it easier to build a defensible contamination control strategy and demonstrate process control during audits.
The Cost of Overlooking Housing Integrity
When filter housings are selected primarily on upfront cost rather than sanitary performance, the long-term consequences can be significant. Inadequate housing design may lead to more frequent contamination events, longer cleaning cycles, increased maintenance, seal failures, unplanned downtime, and product loss.
By contrast, investing in high-integrity housing can improve operational consistency, reduce intervention risk, and extend the usable life of the filtration system. In many cases, the savings from avoided contamination incidents and improved uptime far outweigh the initial equipment cost.
❔What to Consider When Selecting a Housing
Choosing the right filter housing requires looking beyond dimensions and flow rate. Decision-makers should assess how the housing will perform in the actual process environment and whether it supports the site’s hygiene and validation objectives.
Important considerations include:
product and chemical compatibility
required temperature and pressure range
sanitary connection type
ease of disassembly and maintenance
drainability and cleanability
seal material suitability
compatibility with existing filter cartridges and validation protocols
The best solution is one that aligns with both process performance and contamination control requirements.
💬 Final Thoughts
Preventing microbial contamination demands a system-wide approach, and filter housings are a vital part of that defence. While filter media captures contaminants, the housing preserves the integrity of the entire filtration step. A high-integrity design helps eliminate contamination pathways, supports effective cleaning and sterilisation, and provides the operational reliability needed in sensitive applications.
For manufacturers focused on product safety, compliance, and process confidence, high-integrity filter housings are not just a supporting component; they are a frontline safeguard against microbial risk.
🔹Take a look at our wide range of hygienic filter solutions: Click here
In hygienic processing environments, safety isn’t something you add on at the end; it has to be designed in from the very beginning. Every component plays a role, from protecting product quality to ensuring operators and equipment remain safe under demanding conditions. That’s where Servinox comes in.
Servinox designs its valves and tank protection systems to safeguard both product and people at every stage:
✔ Pressure & vacuum protection
Prevents overpressure and vacuum damage in tanks and process lines – keeping operations stable and secure.
✔ Thermal shock resistance
Engineered to handle rapid temperature changes during CIP/SIP cycles without compromising equipment integrity.
Chocolate processing requires precise and hygienic handling, and the Alfa Laval Knife Edge OptiLobe Pump is engineered to deliver. Its advanced rotor design supports efficient handling of high viscosity media, ensuring smooth, low shear transfer that helps maintain product structure and consistency.
The Knife Edge OptiLobe profile enhances cleanability and reduces product buildup, making it ideal for demanding chocolate applications where hygiene and process reliability are critical.
Helping you achieve consistent quality in every batch just in time for Easter 🐰🍫
This March edition of our ITS Flow Time Newsletter uncovers new solutions, shares exciting major projects we’ve been a part of, introduces new faces to the ITS team, and celebrates our long-standing members. Catch up on all the latest updates from ITS Flow Time: https://tinyurl.com/ydz35dhc
This March, we celebrate something truly special: 20 incredible years of Martin Williams being part of ITS.
Martin is not just a colleague; he is a cornerstone of our ITS Technical Sales team and our trusted Valve & Tank specialist. Over the past two decades, he has brought not only deep expertise and unwavering professionalism, but also a genuine passion for helping customers find the right solutions every time.
If there is anything IT related, Martin is our man, a person of many skills who is always ready to step in and help wherever needed.
We suspect a good portion of those 20 years has been fuelled by coffee, hot or tepid, and if there were an award for most cups consumed, Martin would have it secured by now.
His knowledge, dedication, and steady presence have made a lasting impact, not just on the business but on everyone lucky enough to work alongside him. Whether it is tackling complex challenges or offering guidance with patience and clarity, Martin consistently goes above and beyond.
Twenty years is more than a milestone; it’s a testament to commitment, growth, and the relationships built along the way. Martin, thank you for your hard work, your loyalty, your wonderful singing voice, your humorous stories, and the positive energy you bring to the team every day. Take That never realised what they missed out on.
Here is to everything you have achieved, and to many more successes ahead.
Congratulations on 20 years with ITS! 🎉☕
As we all know, when it comes to food and beverage production, safety is not something that sits quietly in the background. It shapes every decision, especially when pasteurisation is involved.
Pasteurisation plays a critical role in protecting product quality and consumer health, but it also brings a layer of responsibility, particularly in dairy production, ensuring safe milk, cream, yoghurt, and other dairy products reach consumers. Even small deviations in temperature or holding time can affect product safety, shelf life, and flavour.
Manufacturers are expected to meet a wide range of standards, from frameworks like PMO and HACCP to organisations such as the FDA, along with EU food safety regulations and recognised certifications including DIN EN ISO 22000, FSSC 22000, IFS Food and EHEDG. (Standards like PMO and 3-A hygienic guidelines are especially relevant in dairy)
At first glance, it can feel like a long and complex list. In reality, they all point to the same outcome: safe, consistent production you can rely on.
Implementing the right instrumentation into your processing environment makes a real difference. It’s not just about measuring temperature or pressure. It’s about having confidence that your pasteurisation process is controlled, compliant and performing exactly as it should.
This is where Anderson Negele’s pasteurisation control and recording technology comes into its own. By providing accurate measurements and reliable data recording, it gives clear evidence that critical parameters have been met – not just in the moment, but for every batch, every run, and every audit. Anderson Negele’s instrumentation is designed to support food safety standards while offering the reassurance of recognised certifications, helping you stay prepared for audits without the added stress.
In hygienic processing industries where there is no room for compromise, that level of visibility and confidence makes all the difference. Because in the end, food safety is not just about meeting standards. It’s about being able to demonstrate it and delivering consistent quality to consumers.
Like to know more about Pasteurisation Control and Recording Technology from Anderson-Negele? Get in touch with ITS. 📞01675 620914 📧 sales@industrialtradingsolutions.com
Before you commit to a mixer, are you sure it’s truly the right fit for your process?
Specifying a mixer is more than ticking boxes; it shapes performance, compliance, and long-term reliability – all hinge on the details engineers often overlook. Even small decisions such as impeller type, tank geometry, or fluid properties can make all the difference.
📖Take a few minutes to carefully read each point in the document linked below to ensure your specification is fully optimised for your process using Vak Kimsa’s mixing equipment.
When a leading motor racing team set out to launch a new site, they faced a complex challenge: integrating a major wind tunnel system into a highly constrained space.
That is where ITS stepped in.
Working closely with our Technical Sales Expert and MD, Nick Willetts, the focus was clear: deliver an efficient, high-performance air-extraction solution tailored to the site’s unique constraints.
Due to tight spatial constraints, a standard approach simply would not work. The project required a fully bespoke ducting design, including customised layouts and interface flanges to seamlessly connect with existing fans and ancillary equipment.
💡 The Solution
In partnership with KMH, ITS supplied over 400 metres of KMH ducting, ranging from DN350 to DN1000. The scope included:
Straight ducting
Bends and transition pieces
Diverter valves and forks
In total, 11 trucks were deployed to deliver the full solution, ensuring everything arrived on-site ready for installation.
This tailored approach allowed the customer to successfully implement their system without compromise, despite the challenging environment.
👏💐A special thanks to Katharina Kammann, Stephan Nickisch, and Martina Kammann at KMH for their support throughout the project.
🔹 If you have any upcoming major projects or site expansions for your facility, ITS are always on hand. Get in touch so we can discuss further:📞 01675 621014 | 📧 sales@industrialtradingsolutions.com
🧠Did you know a cooling system is only as reliable as the filtration protecting it?
Let us explain – when debris builds up, the effects appear quickly: clogged equipment, higher energy consumption, and increasing maintenance demands.
📖 Short case story: One customer operating at around 90 m³ per hour upgraded to the HiFlux Autoline XXL with electronic differential pressure control and a 50 µm laser-bore filter element, designed for continuous performance.
✅The outcome? Improved solids removal and a cleaner system overall. This led to fewer manual interventions, reduced unplanned downtime, and more consistent operations across the board.
🔹The right filtration solution does more than protect equipment; it reduces costs, improves efficiency, and strengthens uptime reliability.
If you’re Interested in improving your cooling water system, discover how advanced filtration can transform your cooling system performance. Get in touch with our team. 📞01675 621014 | 📧 sales@industrialtradingsolutions.com
Sustainability isn’t just about new energy. It’s also about smarter infrastructure.
LIAG® highlights pigging as one of the most practical ways to make pipelines more sustainable today.
Pigging is the process of sending devices through pipelines to clean, separate, or inspect. It improves flow efficiency, reduces energy demand, and lowers emissions. Clean pipelines require less pumping power, which directly cuts carbon output and makes operations greener.
The benefits go beyond energy savings. Pigging supports waste reduction by recovering residual product instead of flushing lines with water or chemicals. This reduces wastewater, lowers chemical use, and minimises product loss, benefiting both the environment and the bottom line.
Modern intelligent pigging systems go further by detecting corrosion and weaknesses before failures occur. Preventing leaks is not just smart maintenance; it is environmental protection.
LIAG® Pigging is suitable for a wide range of industries, including:
Oil and Gas
Chemical and Petrochemical
Food and Beverage
Water and Wastewater Management
Pharmaceutical
💡The takeaway? Sustainability is not always about flashy new technology. Sometimes it comes from operational discipline: cleaner lines, smarter recovery, and infrastructure designed to last.
🔹If you want to see how pigging can make your operations more efficient and sustainable, contact our team today. 📞01675 621014 | 📧 sales@industrialtradingsolutions.com
In industries where cleanliness is non-negotiable – food and beverage, dairy, pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, and personal care – hygienic processing plants sit at the heart of operational integrity. Today, digitisation is reshaping these environments, enabling safer production, greater efficiency, and smarter compliance.
For companies across Ireland and beyond, including those working with advanced processing and packaging solutions, digital transformation is no longer optional. It’s a competitive advantage.
💡From Manual Monitoring to Smart, Connected Systems
Traditional hygienic plants relied heavily on manual checks, paper-based documentation, and reactive maintenance. While effective in their time, these methods left room for inefficiencies and risk.
Digitised plants now integrate:
IoT-enabled sensors
Real-time production dashboards
Automated clean-in-place (CIP) validation
Cloud-based traceability systems
Smart sensors continuously monitor temperature, pressure, flow rates, and microbial risk indicators. Instead of waiting for an issue to surface, operators receive real-time alerts – allowing proactive intervention before quality is compromised.
The result? Reduced downtime, improved batch consistency, and enhanced product safety.
💡Real-Time Traceability: A New Standard for Compliance
In hygienic processing sectors, traceability isn’t just good practice – it’s mandatory.
Digital systems now track:
Raw material origin
Batch processing parameters
Cleaning cycles
Operator interventions
Packaging and dispatch records
End-to-end digital traceability allows plants to respond instantly to audits or product recalls. Instead of spending days compiling paper trails, manufacturers can generate complete digital reports in minutes.
This level of transparency builds trust with regulators, retailers, and consumers alike.
💡Smarter Cleaning & Validation Through Automation
Hygienic design has always focused on eliminating contamination risks. Digitisation takes this further by validating cleaning effectiveness in real time.
Modern CIP systems now:
Automatically adjust chemical dosing
Monitor conductivity and temperature curves
Log cleaning performance data
Trigger alerts if parameters fall outside validated ranges
Instead of relying solely on manual sign-off, plants can digitally prove that every cleaning cycle met required standards. This reduces human error and strengthens audit readiness.
💡Predictive Maintenance Reduces Risk and Downtime
Unexpected equipment failure in hygienic environments is more than inconvenient—it can jeopardise product integrity.
With digitisation, processing plants use predictive maintenance tools powered by machine learning. These systems analyse vibration, motor load, valve response times, and other performance indicators to detect early warning signs.
Benefits include:
Fewer unplanned shutdowns
Extended equipment lifespan
Lower maintenance costs
Improved overall equipment effectiveness (OEE)
Rather than reacting to breakdowns, facilities operate with foresight.
📈Data-Driven Decision Making
Digitised hygienic plants generate vast amounts of actionable data. When properly harnessed, this data transforms operational strategy.
Plant managers can:
Identify bottlenecks in processing lines
Optimise energy and water usage
Improve yield and reduce waste
Benchmark performance across multiple facilities
Advanced analytics platforms turn raw numbers into clear insights, enabling leadership teams to move from intuition-based decisions to evidence-based optimisation.
✨Enhancing Workforce Efficiency and Safety
Digital tools also empower plant personnel. Mobile tablets and wearable devices allow operators to:
Access SOPs instantly
Receive step-by-step maintenance guidance
Log interventions digitally
Communicate issues in real time
Automation reduces repetitive manual tasks, allowing skilled teams to focus on quality assurance, process improvement, and innovation.
🌍Sustainability Through Digital Control
Environmental performance is increasingly tied to commercial success. Digitisation supports sustainability by:
Monitoring water consumption during cleaning cycles
Optimising energy usage across heating and cooling systems
Minimising product waste through precise process control
Supporting carbon reporting with accurate data
Smart plants operate leaner – both financially and environmentally.
✅The Future: Fully Integrated Hygienic Ecosystems
The next evolution of hygienic processing plants lies in full system integration. Equipment, cleaning systems, packaging lines, and enterprise software platforms will operate as one connected ecosystem.
As Industry 4.0 technologies mature, digital twins, AI-drivenoptimisation, and autonomous process adjustments will become standard practice.
For processing facilities aiming to stay competitive, digitisation represents more than technological enhancement – it’s a foundation for resilience, safety, and growth.
💭 Final Thoughts
Hygienic processing plants have always prioritised cleanliness, compliance, and consistency. Digitisation strengthens each of these pillars by introducing visibility, automation, and intelligence into every stage of production.
Organisations that embrace this shift are not only protecting product integrity – they are building smarter, safer, and more sustainable operations for the future.
🔹That’s why our technical sales team at ITS is ready to guide you with the latest hygienic digital optimisation innovations, helping you upgrade your processing environment efficiently and confidently.
