Looking for high-performance, precision mixing? Look no further. Vak Kimsa Agitators are available directly from Industrial Trading Solutions Ltd. – your trusted partner in hygienic processing.
Designed for durability and efficiency
Ideal for the food & beverage, pharma, cosmetics, dairy, and homecare industries
Tailor-made for your process – from simple blending to complex suspension tasks
Engineered in Spain. Supported in the UK.
From top-entry mixers to side-mounted and bottom-entry options, Vak Kimsa offers a full range of solutions to keep your process running smoothly and reliably.
With ITS, you’ll get:
✅ Expert advice
✅ Responsive UK-based support
✅ Access to full technical documentation & spare parts
Let’s mix things up the smart way. Ready to elevate your process? Browse Vak Kimsa
Behind every perfectly poured pint is a dance of stainless steel, steam, and sanitation. Breweries—whether boutique craft operations or major beer powerhouses—rely heavily on hygienic process equipment to keep their beverages safe, tasty, and consistent. But this precision machinery isn’t without its headaches. From biofilm buildup to hard-to-clean valves, the smallest flaw can become a big problem.
Let’s explore the challenges breweries face with hygienic process equipment—and how they can keep things flowing smoothly from tank to tap.
1. The Biofilm Boogeyman: Hidden Contamination
The Challenge: Biofilms—microscopic layers of bacteria and yeast—can cling to the inner surfaces of tanks, piping, and valves, especially in dead legs (areas where flow is limited). They’re resistant to standard cleaning procedures and can spoil entire batches.
The Fix:
CIP Systems (Clean-in-Place): Invest in a robust CIP system with high-velocity circulation and validated cleaning cycles.
Design for Cleanability: Choose equipment with minimal crevices, smooth welds, and sloped piping to prevent stagnation.
Regular Swabbing and ATP Testing: Routine surface testing ensures cleaning protocols are effective.
2. Downtime Drama: Equipment Fatigue and Failure
The Challenge: Gaskets degrade, seals wear out, and sensors fail. Each small malfunction can lead to unexpected downtime—and in a brewery, time is not a luxury.
The Fix:
Predictive Maintenance: Use IoT-enabled sensors to monitor pressure, flow rates, and temperature in real-time to predict failures before they happen.
Spares Strategy: Keep a critical spares inventory for quick swaps when parts fail.
Training Matters: Make sure your team can troubleshoot issues efficiently to reduce downtime.
3. Scaling Pains: Outgrowing the System
The Challenge: That sweet little brewhouse you started with? It might not keep up with demand now. But scaling up without compromising hygiene is tricky.
The Fix:
Modular Equipment: Upgrade with modular units that can be added incrementally while maintaining hygienic standards.
Process Automation: Introduce automation for tasks like dosing, transferring, and cleaning. It ensures repeatability and reduces human error.
Future-Proof Designs: Invest in scalable solutions from the start—think longer-term when making capital decisions.
4. Cross-Contamination: The Silent Saboteur
The Challenge: Especially in breweries producing multiple styles (like IPA’s and sours), cross-contamination can ruin flavour profiles and reputation.
The Fix:
Dedicated Lines and Tanks: If space allows, keep separate tanks or lines for different beer styles.
Valve Technology: Use double-seat or mix-proof valves to isolate products during transfer.
Sanitation Protocols: Enforce strict cleaning between batches and conduct microbial testing.
5. Regulation Overload: Keeping Up with Standards
The Challenge: Food safety and sanitary standards evolve. Local and global compliance requirements (like FDA, EHEDG, or 3-A) can be tough to track and meet.
The Fix:
Partner with Experts: Work with suppliers and consultants familiar with hygienic design standards.
Documentation and Traceability: Implement systems to document cleaning processes, batch tracking, and equipment inspections.
Training & Audits: Regular training for staff and internal audits help stay compliant and avoid nasty surprises.
Levelling Up: When and How to Upgrade
Sometimes the fix is a full-on upgrade. Here’s how to know it’s time:
You’re spending more on repairs than replacements.
Your cleaning cycles aren’t effective or take too long.
You’re failing audits or have recurring contamination issues.
Your production capacity can’t keep up with demand.
Upgrade Tips:
Start with a Process Audit: Map out your full process and identify bottlenecks.
Budget for the Future: Don’t just solve today’s problems—think two, five, ten years ahead.
Go Hygienic from the Ground Up: Choose equipment certified for hygienic use and easy to clean and maintain.
Cheers to Cleaner, Better Brews 🍻
Hygienic process equipment is the unsung hero of brewing. When it works, nobody notices. When it doesn’t, it’s a frothy mess. Staying ahead of these challenges with smart design, proactive maintenance, and future-minded upgrades is the best way to ensure your brewery keeps producing great beer—clean, consistent, and contamination-free.
So here’s to clean lines, happy yeast, and equipment that works as hard as your brewmaster.
🔧 Need to schedule a routine maintenance check? Take a look at what our ITS Servicing & Maintenance team has to offer: Click here
🚨 Emergency Callout? No Problem. When every hour counts, Industrial Trading Solutions Ltd delivers.
Our Servicing & Maintenance Team were recently called out on an emergency basis, responding and attending within 24 hours to support a customer facing a critical issue with an Alfa Laval Heat Exchanger.
The reported problem? Suspected water ingress on the P.E.G. side – possibly due to a cracked plate or damaged gasket.
But once on-site, our engineer quickly identified a more serious concern. 👀
🔧 The plate pack had been incorrectly assembled, and once the unit was opened, it was clear that a mistake had been made during the initial plate hanging. Rather than applying a quick fix, our team proactively decided to carry out a complete strip-downand rebuild of the plate pack.
🛠️ With a full inspection of every plate and gasket, we ensured the unit was rebuilt to spec – providing on-site support to Alfa Laval and working alongside them throughout the process to deliver a fast, effective resolution for the customer.
🧪 A pressure test post-rebuild showed the unit holding strong at 2.45 – 3.6 BAR on the water side – a job done right, under pressure.
Huge credit to our servicing team and thanks to Alfa Laval for their expert collaboration. Teamwork like this ensures our customers get back up and running fast.
Take Control of Turbidity – Enhance Your Process with Precision!
Introducing our latest Whitepaper: “Turbidity Control Solutions in Food and Beverage” – your essential guide to mastering turbidity monitoring for optimised product quality, process efficiency, and hygienic operations.
Unlock the Power of Turbidity Control:
Discover how turbidity measurement can be a game-changer across key applications like product differentiation, CIP phase transition, process control, and quality monitoring – all critical to delivering consistent, high-quality food and beverage products.
Why Download?
This whitepaper offers actionable insights and real-world examples of how leading manufacturers are using turbidity control to:
✔ Ensure accurate product handling and differentiation
✔ Optimise CIP procedures with rapid response times (<1 sec)
✔ Prevent contamination through real-time process correction
✔ Maintain consistent product quality
Whether you’re producing dairy, beer, wine, juices, or other beverages, this guide will help you implement smarter turbidity control solutions that boost performance and safety.
💡 Why Pay More Just to Order Exactly What You Need?
That’s right – At ITS, we understand that sometimes you just need one part or a small top-up, not a full basket.
That’s why we’ve removed the Minimum Order Value (MOV) charge for all in-stock items when you place orders below the minimum order value directly through ITS Lite.
This means you can now place smaller orders without worrying about additional fees. Whether you need a spare part urgently, grabbing a quick replacement, or managing stock levels, we’ve made it simpler, faster, and more cost-effective.
🛒 No minimum, no fuss, zero extra charges – just what you need, when you need it.
When it comes to dairy production, consistency isn’t just key — it’s everything. That’s why leading producers across the globe trust Alfa Laval to deliver hygienic, efficient, and reliable solutions at every stage of the process.
So, what makes Alfa Laval different from other equipment manufacturers?
✅ Hygienic by design – engineered to meet and exceed the highest standards for food safety
✅ Exceptional energy and water efficiency – driving sustainability and reducing costs
✅ Built to last – robust, reliable components with lower maintenance requirements
✅ Precision process control – ensuring consistent quality from raw milk to finished product
🧀🥛 What Can Alfa Laval Offer for Dairy?
From raw milk reception to final packaging, Alfa Laval has the complete processing solution, including:
🔹 Centrifugal Separators – for milk clarification, cream separation, and bacterial removal
🔹 Plate Heat Exchangers – ideal for pasteurisation and temperature control
🔹 Pump Technologies – gentle handling of dairy products with minimal shear
🔹 Valves & Automation – ensuring hygienic flow control and CIP efficiency
🔹 Tank Cleaning Equipment – for fast, effective, and water-saving cleaning cycles
🔹 Membrane Filtration Systems – for protein concentration, lactose removal, and more
🔹 Mixproof and Single Seat Valves – designed for high-flow, high-hygiene applications
🔹 Complete CIP Systems – fully integrated and tailored to your plant needs
And here’s where we come in…
👉 Industrial Trading Solutions Ltd is the official UK Master Distributor for Alfa Laval.
That means direct access to the full Alfa Laval range, backed by expert technical support, fast lead times, and advice tailored specifically for the dairy sector.
Whether you’re upgrading, expanding, or optimising your process — we’re your trusted partner from start to finish.
At Industrial Trading Solutions Ltd, we’re passionate about nurturing the next generation of engineers, and we’re proud to have Madi Lavender from Solihull College on placement with us as part of her T-Level Engineering course. 🚀🔧
Madi is hands-on, learning real-world skills in servicing and maintaining valves, pumps, and hygienic process flow equipment – crucial components in industries like food & beverage, pharmaceuticals, and brewing.
🔹 What has Madi been working on?
✅ Disassembling & Rebuilding Valves – Understanding how hygienic valves function, ensuring smooth operation in processing systems.
✅ Pump Maintenance & Repairs – Learning how to inspect, troubleshoot, and service pumps to keep them running efficiently.
✅ Testing Equipment for Leaks & Wear – Using industry-standard testing methods to ensure components meet strict hygiene and safety standards.
✅ CIP (Clean-in-Place) System Support – Assisting with cleaning protocols to maintain high hygiene levels in food & drink processing environments.
✅ Gasket & Seal Replacements – Learning the importance of correct materials and installation for process integrity.
✅ Technical Drawings & Component Identification – Developing skills in reading schematics to understand system layouts and functions.
Madi Lavender is now starting her search for an engineering apprenticeship around the West Midlands area to begin in September 2026. If you think you may have a place for her in your business, please get in touch.
Why is this important?
Engineering is a diverse, exciting, and essential field, and it’s fantastic to see more women like Madi stepping into technical roles. Her enthusiasm, precision, and problem-solving skills are exactly what the industry needs!
💡 If you’re a student considering a T-Level placement in Engineering, ITS is the perfect place to gain hands-on experience with real industry experts.
Let’s celebrate the future of female engineers! 👏💪
Huge thanks to Karina Kwan, Jannik Borm and Federico Abrain for an outstanding couple of days of onsite Alfa Laval Product Training for Pumps & Valves at ITS! Your expertise and dedication have been invaluable.
We’re excited to apply the knowledge gained to enhance our operations, improve efficiency, and ensure even greater performance in the field.
At ITS, we are committed to continuously improving our knowledge and skills to better serve our customers and drive their success.
Looking forward to seeing the positive impact of this training in action!
We’re thrilled to announce a powerful upgrade to our Alfa Laval pump offering – **every Alfa Laval pump we sell now comes with a FREE Alfa Laval Condition Monitor!**
✅ Automatically included in every order
✅ Zero cost to our customer
✅ Helps our customers maximise uptime and monitor performance in real time
Why are we doing this?
Because we’re all about delivering more value and helping our customers stay ahead. This isn’t just a freebie – it’s a smart, strategic advantage from which our customers can reap benefits. Condition monitoring is the future of pump care, and we’re putting that future into our customers’ hands. 💡
In industries where cleanliness is critical — such as food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and cosmetics — filtration isn’t just a helpful step in the process… It’s essential. Hygienic processing demands the highest standards of purity, safety, and product integrity, and effective filtration sits at the heart of achieving that.
Here’s why filtration plays such a vital role in hygienic processing — and the benefits it delivers.
🛡️ Protecting Product Purity
The most obvious (and arguably most important) reason for filtration in hygienic environments is to remove unwanted particles and contaminants. Whether it’s solid particulates, micro-organisms, or trace chemical impurities, filtration ensures the end product is clean, safe, and consistent.
In industries like dairy or pharmaceuticals, even the tiniest contamination can compromise entire batches — posing not just financial risk, but serious health risks. Filtration gives you peace of mind that your product meets the most stringent quality standards.
💥 Preventing Equipment Damage
Process equipment — like pumps, valves, and spray nozzles — can be sensitive to debris or sediment. Filtration upstream prevents these components from becoming blocked, worn down, or damaged, reducing unplanned downtime and costly maintenance.
By safeguarding your assets, filtration helps extend the life of your equipment and ensures consistent process performance.
🔄 Ensuring Process Efficiency
Filtration improves flow consistency, pressure control, and overall process reliability. By eliminating particles that could clog lines or disrupt flow, you can maintain optimal processing conditions and reduce variation.
This is especially important in clean-in-place (CIP) systems, where unfiltered contaminants could recirculate and hinder cleaning effectiveness. Clean process = clean product.
🔬 Supporting Regulatory Compliance
Hygienic industries face strict regulatory controls (FDA, EHEDG, GMP, etc.). Filtration helps businesses meet these standards by ensuring products are free from physical, chemical, and microbiological contaminants.
In short? Good filtration is good compliance.
♻️ Reducing Waste & Improving Sustainability
Efficient filtration reduces spoilage and rejects, meaning fewer wasted batches, less water used, and a lower environmental footprint. And with modern filter technologies, reusability and energy efficiency are better than ever.
Less waste. More win.
🧩 Customisable to Your Needs
Today’s filtration systems are highly adaptable, available in a range of materials, pore sizes, and configurations to suit your specific process — from fine membrane filtration to robust pre-filters and strainers.
They can be integrated seamlessly into existing hygienic systems, offering a tailored solution without compromising process integrity.
Working in partnership with HiFlux Filtration, we can help you select, design, and implement the right filtration systems for your exact process needs – whether you’re upgrading existing equipment or starting fresh.
This week, the ITS team paid a visit to Food Expo 2025, taking the time to walk the floor, catch up with our industry contacts, and keep a finger on the pulse of the food manufacturing equipment world.
Events like these are a great way to maintain strong relationships with suppliers, see what’s currently on offer across the market, and make sure we’re in the know when it comes to equipment and capabilities.
From conveyors to cookers, mixers to metal detectors – it was great to see the breadth of machinery on show and have those valuable face-to-face conversations.
Thanks to everyone who made time for a chat – and hats off to the organisers for another smooth and well-run event.
At Industrial Trading Solutions Ltd, we believe that small actions can create powerful ripples—and when it comes to sustainability, we’re committed to walking the talk.
As part of our environmental promise, we recycle all stainless steel from:
🔧 Unwanted or obsolete parts
🔁 Servicing scrap and wear-and-tear waste
🏭 Other internal and external business processes
Rather than ending up in landfill, these materials are collected, sorted, and sent to be re-melted and reused in new stainless steel products.
💡 Did you know? Stainless steel is 100% recyclable—and it doesn’t lose its quality in the recycling process. That means the components we recycle today might be reborn as anything from hygienic process equipment to architectural structures, or even medical instruments.
🌍 This not only reduces the need for raw material extraction but also helps cut down on energy use and emissions—supporting our goal to reduce environmental impact across our supply chain.
We’re proud to contribute to a more circular economy, and we encourage our partners and customers to join us on this journey. Every fitting, valve or clamp has the potential to live another life—and that’s a future worth investing in.
At Industrial Trading Solutions Ltd, we’re committed to providing high-quality, efficient, and durable industrial & solutions. That’s why we’re proud to be an official distributor of KMH (Kammann Metallbau) Ducting – a brand known for innovation in dry product conveying and distribution, dust extraction, and industrial ducting systems.
🔹 Why Choose KMH Ducting?
✅ Superior Quality – Engineered for durability and reliability in industrial environments.
✅ Modular & Versatile – A flexible system that adapts to your needs.
✅ Customisable Solutions – Tailored products for unique industrial requirements.
✅ ATEX-Compliant – Designed for use in hazardous environments.
As promised, March has been just as productive as the previous month for ITS. The clocks have moved forward and so have things at ITS – kicking off our ITS Flow Time Newsletter for March 2025 with a new era of leadership.
In hygienic fluid processing, product integrity and cleanliness are non-negotiable. But throw high viscosity into the mix—think yoghurt, sauces, ointments, gels or nut butters—and things get a whole lot stickier, literally and figuratively. Selecting the right pumps and valves for these demanding applications is essential to ensure process efficiency, product quality, and compliance with strict sanitary standards.
The Viscosity Factor
Viscous fluids don’t behave like their thinner counterparts. They resist flow, cling to surfaces, and can cause issues like pressure drop, uneven flow, or even complete blockages if not handled correctly. In hygienic environments, where product residue can harbour bacteria or affect batch consistency, the stakes are even higher.
Your pump and valve selection needs to do more than just move fluid—it must preserve texture, minimise shear, and facilitate easy cleaning and sterilisation.
✅Choosing the Right Pump: Gentle, Efficient, and Clean
1. Positive Displacement (PD) Pumps – The Viscous Heroes
When it comes to thick fluids, PD pumps such as rotary lobe, progressive cavity, and peristaltic types are the go-to choices.
Rotary Lobe Pumps: Offer gentle handling, making them ideal for shear-sensitive products. Their smooth, non-contacting lobes are easy to clean and highly efficient with viscous media.
Peristaltic Pumps: These use flexible tubing to move product, reducing contamination risk as the fluid only contacts the tube. They’re excellent for low-volume, precision applications.
2. Sanitary Centrifugal Pumps – Proceed with Caution
While efficient and cost-effective, centrifugal pumps are better suited to low-viscosity fluids. In some cases, they can be adapted with enlarged inlets or operated at lower speeds to process thicker fluids, but they’re rarely the first choice for truly high-viscous products.
📈Valve Selection: Hygiene Meets Performance
Valves may seem like background players, but they play a starring role in directing flow, controlling pressure, and maintaining hygienic integrity.
Simple, cost-effective, and easy to clean, butterfly valves are commonly used in hygienic applications. However, they may not provide the best flow control for highly viscous fluids due to potential turbulence around the disc.
Ideal for ultra-hygienic environments (think pharma or biotech), these valves offer a smooth flow path with minimal dead space. They’re also great for CIP (clean-in-place) systems, though they may struggle with very thick fluids if not properly sized.
With full bore flow paths, these are ideal for high-viscosity materials as they offer minimal flow resistance. Just be sure the valve seats and seals are made from materials compatible with your product and cleaning agents.
Design Considerations Beyond Equipment
When working with viscous fluids in a hygienic setup, the surrounding system design matters just as much as the components:
Pipe Sizing: Larger diameters reduce resistance.
Minimal Dead Legs: Prevent product build-up and bacterial growth.
Sloped Lines: Encourage self-draining and reduce pooling.
CIP and SIP Compatibility: Ensures that equipment is not only efficient but also compliant with hygiene regulations.
Materials and Compliance
Always opt for food- or pharma-grade materials (e.g., 316L stainless steel) and check for certifications such as EHEDG, 3-A Sanitary Standards, and FDA approval. Elastomers should be chemically compatible and able to withstand cleaning processes without degrading or leaching into the product.
💭 Final Thoughts
Choosing the right hygienic pumps and valves for high-viscous fluid processing isn’t just about moving material from A to B. It’s about preserving product quality, ensuring cleanliness, maintaining consistency, and optimising every drop.
By understanding your product, your process, and the demands of your industry, you can select components that work as hard—and as cleanly—as you do.
Servinox valves are widely used in breweries to ensure efficient, hygienic, and precise control over various stages of beer production. Their high-quality stainless steel construction and innovative design make them ideal for handling liquids, gases, and cleaning processes in brewing.
🔹 Key Brewing Processes Where Servinox Valves Are Used:
✅ Wort Transfer & Filtration – Ensuring a smooth and sanitary flow of wort from the mash tun to the fermenter, preventing contamination.
✅ Fermentation Control – Regulating CO₂ release and maintaining pressure control during the fermentation process for consistency and quality.
✅ CIP (Clean-in-Place) Systems – Essential for automated cleaning of brewing tanks, pipelines, and processing equipment, ensuring hygiene and preventing cross-contamination.
✅ Yeast Management – Used in yeast propagation and recovery systems to ensure proper dosing and optimal fermentation performance.
✅ Filtration & Separation – Controlling the flow of beer through filtration units, ensuring clarity and removing unwanted particles before packaging.
✅ Carbonation & Gas Control – Regulating CO₂ injection to achieve the perfect carbonation levels in the final product.
✅ Kegging & Bottling – Providing precise flow control for filling kegs and bottles while maintaining product integrity and minimising oxygen exposure.
🔹 Why Use Servinox Valves in Brewing?
✔ Hygienic Design – Built with high-grade stainless steel and smooth internal surfaces to prevent bacterial growth.
✔ Durable & Reliable – Withstand high pressure and temperature variations in brewing processes.
✔ Precision Flow Control – Essential for maintaining consistency and beer quality.
✔ Easy Maintenance & Cleaning – CIP-compatible for quick and efficient cleaning.
Whether you’re a microbrewery or a large-scale producer, Servinox valves are a trusted choice for brewing excellence. Need expert advice? Industrial Trading Solutions Ltd is here to help!
Unplanned downtime can be a production manager’s worst nightmare—causing costly delays, unexpected expenses, and unnecessary stress. At Industrial Trading Solutions Ltd (ITS), we understand the challenges of maintaining hygienic pumps and valves in demanding production environments. That’s why we offer tailored Servicing Packages designed to keep your equipment running smoothly while also helping you stay in control of your maintenance budget.
With our Bronze, Silver, and Gold service options, you can choose the level of support that best suits your facility’s needs. Whether you require basic preventative maintenance, regular inspections, or comprehensive servicing with priority support, our expert team is on hand across the UK to ensure minimal disruption to your operations.
• Bronze Package – Essential maintenance and inspections to keep your equipment in optimal condition.
• Silver Package – A more in-depth service plan, including additional support and scheduled servicing.
• Gold Package – Our premium, all-inclusive solution for complete peace of mind, reducing the risk of breakdowns and extending the lifespan of your pumps and valves.
By investing in a structured maintenance plan, you’re not just preventing downtime—you’re maximising efficiency, prolonging equipment life, and ensuring compliance with hygienic standards. Find out more here: https://www.industrialtradingsolutions.com/its-servicing/
Let ITS take the pressure off your maintenance planning. Contact us today to find out which Servicing Package is right for you! – 01675 465191 / sales@industrialtradingsolutions.com
Now, let’s dive deeper into this case study and explore how the NSL-M level control sensor proved to be the ideal solution for the CIP cleaning process in a soft drinks system within a beverage plant.
🚨Spoiler alert – A bit of background: The soft drink system included multiple components, each presenting unique challenges for measurement and control. In the degassing tank, where oxygen is removed from water under vacuum conditions to prevent taste deviations, precise volume measurement was crucial for process efficiency. Similarly, during carbonation, CO2 is added under high pressure, and the end product is stored in a stacking tank to maintain pressure until filling. Accurate and fast level measurement was essential for constant levels and process control.
