4 Reasons to set up a regular exterior washing program for your dairy factory
4 Reasons to set up a regular exterior washing program for your dairy factory
The most impressive thing about a dairy site from an outsiders view is the attention to detail when it comes to Hygiene. However, this same stringency can often be overlooked on the exterior. Following are 4 areas to look at when considering the necessity of a regular washing plan:
First impressions matter
This might be an old saying but it still rings true. When a prospective customer or investor comes onto a dairy site, what meets their eye in the first 10 seconds will form a critical part of their impression of the site for life. $350,000 Trucks have a washing bay for all purposes, why let a $35,000,000 plant get in a state of neglect?
Don’t forget regular visits by auditors, these people are human too and are affected the same way as the rest of us. You can be guaranteed to start off on the right foot when they are met with a tidy, well maintained site.
Whenever one of our clients has a limited budget for maintenance, we almost always recommend they focus this spend on the first impression areas.
Hygiene isn’t only inside
Having regular maintenance on the exterior of the building is not specified in the design and construction guide by NZFSA (New Zealand Food Safety Authority) although there are many factors pointing toward the fact it should be done like:
“4.3.3
Access into, and within Standard Hygiene Areas should be controlled in the following areas to prevent contamination:
the area outside (including roofs, roof spaces, service rooms, basements, and the external environment)
amenities
product and consumable goods stores,
areas of potential contamination from odours (e.g. ammonia compressors), foreign matter, or micro-organisms.”
Maintenance of the exterior of these vulnerable areas is imperative for keeping insects, bacteria, and pests at bay. Defective filters will leave an allowance for vermin and birds to find places to nest. This will inevitably lead to a bacterial penetration to the interior of the building, not to mention toxicity and diseases in bird faeces.
Setting up a regular washing plan will keep the mould at bay and under the right plan, the contractors looking after the washing can inspect the vulnerable areas for nests or breaks in the filters where insect can enter.
Out of sight is out of mind
An unmaintained site can hide a multitude of problems, especially a breakdown of assets and coatings. Having regular washing on your buildings will also expose weaknesses of coatings and allow for touching up of breaks. This will prevent corrosion of assets and prolong their lifespan.
Find a trusted contractor that can do your auditing as they do washing, then set some parameters around budgets, frequency, and areas of priority. This will set you up for a pleasant and simple experience, all while extending the life of your assets and protecting your product.
The flywheel effect
The flywheel effect (Jim Collins) is something that takes a lot of momentum to get started, but once moving it can be kept moving with little effort. Site maintenance from a washing perspective is often overlooked on the grand scheme. However, unseen faults could be mounting to larger problems where structural integrity is affected. This can lead to huge amounts of downtime and lost income through repairs and loss of product.
This is where the flywheel effect comes into play. Using a set and forget concept is generally the best way to go about this and having a contractor that is trained and trusted can maintain your site at the pace that suits your requirements and budget.
