INDUSTRY FOCUS FOOD & BEVERAGE SIMPLE BUT EFFECTIVE – THE RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
‘Easy to install, simple to use, reliable and consistent’, this is how John Morton of Aquameter describes the company’s Abacus water meter. John spoke to Michelle Lea about how the unit’s simplicity, backed by exemplary customer service, is proving successful
hen specifying or procuring process equipment, it’s very rare that engineers get to interact with the person that designed, built and tested the equipment, and benefit from a personal, tailored service that such interaction brings. This is, however, exactly the way Aquameter does business. The small family-run business in Hertfordshire has been producing the Abacus water meter for over 25 years, and each product is assembled, tested and calibrated by the company’s owner John Morton. John initially designed the Abacus water
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meter to simply and accurately dispense water into food production processes such as those found in the bakery industry. Adding water to a mix, for everything from pastry to cosmetics and from glue to stew, has long been carried out using buckets and hosepipes. The introduction of the Abacus water meter offered a viable, affordable alternative to this method. Instead of manual dispensing, which can result in the addition of inaccurate quantities, at the wrong temperature, and brings with it the health and safety risks associated with spillage, the Abacus water meter offers consistent, accurate water dispensing. The simplicity of the meter is an
advantage – there is very little that can go wrong, and most maintenance or repair issues can be solved with a phone call to John himself. In operation, the quantity of the water required is programmed in, the start button is pushed, and the water flows. A water solenoid valve located in the water pipe closes the flow at the completion of the cycle, when the pre-set batch quantity has been reached.
Aquameter is also able to modify the standard product should the customer have specific requirements. For example, it is possible to control the temperature of the water, and there is the option for dual dispensing where each discharge spout can be controlled independently. The unit can supply chilled water only or very hot water (around 90˚C). Other requirements may include batch control, where the unit carries out a certain amount of pre-set cycles. All in all, there are 17 different types of system produced by Aquameter – something for every occasion.
CUSTOMISATION AS STANDARD If someone requests something a little bit different for their application, Aquameter has the time and ability to adapt the standard unit to meet their needs. Stock is held in sub-assemblies, and units can be completed quickly in response to customer orders. For example, one company needed a
waterproof unit with an IP67 rating to withstand very high pressure washdown hoses. This was possible, but as soon as a hole is drilled in the meter enclosure, the IP rating is compromised. The solution was to put the Abacus unit inside a bigger enclosure to achieve the ingress protection rating required. This solution is ideal for food industry applications where there are frequent washdown/CIP procedures, although a standard unit can withstand hoses operating at normal pressure. And it’s not just special requirements
that Aquameter can cater for - the company is also able to respond to urgent requests from customers. When a call for help came in from a Greggs
THE ABACUS MEASURING SYSTEM IN ACTION
Pete Turner is engineering director at Lakeland Bake in Carlisle, a company that makes and bakes the finest range of crumpets. Turner explains that, for the first 2 or 3 years, the company used varying flow instrumental units (that had been designed in-house), to meter water quantity. However, they only worked properly for 70 to 80% of the time. Turner said: “Now, as a co-owner of Lakeland Bake, and an engineer on call 24/7, 80% just doesn't work
for me. John’s unit literally helps me sleep at night. “After running the Abacus units for some 13 years now, we have had absolutely no problems. We now
have three units in use, with a very lonely spare covered in dust on the shelf! “The accuracy and simplicity of this unit is, in my opinion, a no-brainer in providing a constant cost
saving. The advice that John has supplied Lakeland Bake with is another story, Nothing is a problem for John. He is pleasant, patient and an all-round wealth of knowledge. A good guy to deal with. “Abacus has allowed us to fully automate our bakery, removing human error.”
28 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2019 | PROCESS & CONTROL
An example of the Abacus water meter. The meter has a designed lifetime of 25 years, then potentially another 10 years by refurbishment and replacing certain spare parts, available from Aquameter. Often running 24h/365 days a year, it goes without saying that the equipment has to be robust and reliable. Most importantly, it provides consistency and repeatability of product, day in, day out
bakery at 9pm one New Year’s Eve, John himself was able to build and supply the unit to meet the timescales required. In another example of exceptional customer service, he was able to build a meter at very short notice, and ship it to the customer in a taxi! The meter is also easy to install and
set-up, often taking less than thirty minutes. From there, operation is easy: switch it on, set parameters, press go, the valve opens, the water runs to reach the preset value, the valve closes and the water stops. Also, the preset parameter can be manually overidden if necessary. Water dispensing speed can also be adjusted in line with application requirements. Around 95% of models are specified
with stainless steel enclosures due to their suitability to food industry tasks, but the Abacus can also be produced in polycarbonate. With an operational life of around 25 years, without maintenance, and then about another 10 years with the replacement of certain parts, the Abacus meter offers value for money and a good Return On Investment. As John Morton himself summed up:
“Give customers more than they thought they were going to get, and charge less than they thought they were going to pay.” Factor in reliable, robust equipment and great customer service, and the multinationals could learn a thing or two!
Aquameter T: 01992 442861
www.aquameter.info
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