APPLICATION STORY

An insurance policy to keep hungry

pizza ovens working.

In the United Kingdom, pizza is now the most popular food purchased in restaurants, the 2nd most
popular item bought in supermarkets for dinner and the 4th most popular dinner item purchased in
fast food outlets.

The total market value in the UK is £3,285 million pounds and there are 5842 pizza stores.
(Infographic Journal, January 11 2018)

By any measure, this is a large food industry segment which requires sophisticated manufacturing
facilities to keep the customer supplied with fresh, consistent, high quality product in large volumes,
seven days a week.

One of the country’s largest manufacturers of own label chilled pizza, with a 43% market share, relies
on high production availability to meet the freshness and just-in-time delivery requirements of its
customers. The costs - and reputational damage as a reliable supplier - of unplanned downtime and
the consequent supply disruption are so significant that the company is willing to invest in protecting
both its reputation and profits.

This need for reliable and predictable production output prompted the company to explore options
to help monitor the condition of the heavy-duty gearboxes on the ovens, the most critical piece of
equipment on the manufacturing line. Although they undertook predictive maintenance routines on
these vital assets every 12 weeks, this did not provide them with the confidence that there would not
be a failure and loss of production in the intervening period.

The company’s Condition Based Monitoring Engineer was introduced to the Gill oil condition sensor as
it provided them with that essential continuous real-time insight into the health of the oven gearboxes
which their current procedures did not. The sensors ability to capture and analyse both ferrous fine

More information at gillsc.com

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T +44 (0)1590 613900 Sensors & Controls
APPLICATION STORY

wear debris and coarse failure particles, provided them with continuous reporting of the gearboxes
health. Additionally, they also wanted to monitor the temperature of the oil - another indicator of
potential problems developing - which is another integrated measurement feature incorporated
within the sensor. The sensor is also capable of detecting water in oil and whilst this parameter is
useful re-assurance to the engineer, on this occasion it is not a problem that they encounter.

By installing the sensor the company has been able to generate a continuous condition report
focussing on the metal content and temperature of the oil. By specifying the optional display unit,
they also have an instant, easy-to-see and understand indication of any developing issues that may
result in bringing the production process to a halt.

The company has deployed the Gill sensor as an additional layer of insurance on top of their existing
predictive maintenance procedures, giving them and their customers the confidence that they will
be able to deliver on-time and keep these popular products on their customers shelves.

The additional insight and reassurance they have gained from the sensor has prompted the
company to purchase and install additional sensors and plan to roll-out the sensor across their
manufacturing sites.

For more information on the 4212 oil condition sensor and how it can help you eliminate unplanned
breakdowns and loss of production, visit https://gillsc.com/products/condition-sensors/4212-oil-
condition-sensor-with-display/

More information at gillsc.com

E support@gillsc.com
T +44 (0)1590 613900 Sensors & Controls