A Case Study of the Food and Beverage Industry

Project Overview

• Project: Cleanroom for Bottling Plant
• Industry: Food and Beverages
• Client: Coca-Cola
• Cleanroom Size: 9.8 x 6.8 meters
• Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
• ISO Classification: Class 7 (10,000)
• Application: Bottle Filling Operation

About the Client

The Coca-Cola Company, one of the world’s leading beverage brands known for its products, including the world’s most well-known soft drinks, has other products to its credit, including beverages based on plant and fruit extracts, and even tea and coffee. Besides its product line-up, the company is known for its high standards of product quality, which comes from its use of hygienic means of production that increase the chances of food safety in almost every circumstance.

Their need for a cleanroom

Beverage formulation, bottle filling, capping, labelling, packaging, and quality inspection are important processes at the Coca-Cola bottling plant in Riyadh. Of these, the bottle-filling procedure requires a significantly regulated and clean environment, the absence of which can compromise the beverage’s quality, flavour, and shelf life, with dust, airborne particles, and bacteria being some of the known contaminants. 

Coca-Cola Riyadh thus wanted an ISO Class 7 cleanroom enclosure that would help its production facility maintain clean air conditions, directly and positively affecting the integrity of its products, making them compliant with the food safety laws of countries where these products would be consumed.

Project Objectives and Client Requirements

Kaizen Airtreat was responsible for designing, manufacturing, and shipping a ready-to-install Modular Clean Room for Beverage system from India, meeting Coca-Cola Riyadh’s high production and product standards. The project was quite big, as it involved supplying an entire enclosure, HVAC systems, electricals, and supporting works & products that would be assembled at the destination to come up with a working cleanroom. To sum up, key requirements included,

• A cleanroom enclosure to maintain ISO Class 7 air quality at all times of production.
• Use of SS304 matt finish materials for hygiene and ease of cleaning.
• A transparent wall for visual monitoring of the filling process.
• Door safety integration to reduce the cleanroom machinery’s working speed when the cleanroom door(s) are opened, and.
• Additionally, create an entire series of easy-to-understand installation documents that would facilitate easy installation at the destination site in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and.
• Label the entire shipment (in disassembled condition) to ease the process of storing, unpacking, assembling, and installing at the destination.

Materials Used

The materials chosen for the project underwent strict inspection to match with compliance laws abroad, besides being functional, assisting cleanliness, and promoting easy integration. Each component served a specific role,

• SS304 Stainless Steel Sheets (Matt Finish):The particular grade of SS was used due to its characteristics, including hygiene, resistance to corrosion, and easy-to-clean nature.
• Rockwool Insulated Panels with SS304 Brush No. 4 Finish: These insulated panels were installed in the ceiling to provide fire resistance and thermal insulation.
• 9 mm Toughened Glass Panels: The mentioned material was used as wall panels to facilitate easy visibility to maintain cleanroom integrity while the process was in operation in the cleanroom.
• FRP Walkways (above the ceiling): It was installed to allow safe and lightweight HVAC access.
• Fan Filter Units (FFUs) – 4 ft x 2 ft, SS304: The Fan Filter Unit was used to maintain clean, filtered airflow for ISO Class 7 compliance.
• Proximity Sensors (Doors): These sensors were installed to slow down machines when the Cleanroom doors were opened, leading to improved safety and higher efficiency.
• SS304 Safety Railings (Mirror Finish): The ceiling border was given a safety railing to ensure the technician’s safety during maintenance work.
• Custom SS304 Profiles: The above were fabricated to match the unique layout and ensure proper alignment.

Kaizen Airtreat’s Solution

With the project getting the client’s green signal, Kaizen Airtreat’s design team went about designing a modular cleanroom system that was tailored entirely to the client’s plant layout and needs. Since the site was outside India, client-supplied drawings were of crucial importance in manufacturing the plant. In the end, what was supplied included,

• Custom-designed Enclosure units in varying sizes to suit the layout.
• Structural profiles made of 5 mm-thick SS304 steel in the absence of standard components for the project’s unique height and configuration.
• To meet the need for transparency while the process was on, 9 mm toughened glass was used for wall panels, which ensured visibility while maintaining the required hygiene standards.
• The ceiling had rockwool-insulated panels covered with an SS304 finish for higher fire safety and better insulation.
• Above the ceiling, a self-supporting truss structure was fabricated to hold the HVAC systems. In addition, FRP walkways were added for maintenance access.
• To ensure technicians’ safety while they did overhead servicing, SS304 mirror-finish railings were installed along the border of the ceiling.
• Cleanroom doors were fitted with proximity sensors that automatically reduce equipment speed when the door is opened, thus enhancing operational safety while reducing operational costs.
• The HVAC system was designed with Fan Filter Units (FFUs) to maintain clean airflow and meet ISO Class 7 standards.
• Once the design was finalised by the party, the system was fabricated in-house, with a trial assembly being conducted to ease assembly at the site.
• A set of detailed drawings and instructions was part of the shipment and was meant to ease the process of understanding and assembling the parts in the right order so as to come up with the plant in the right order in the shortest possible time .

Manufacturing, Testing, & Delivery

Once the design was finalised by the buyer, i.e., Coca-Cola Riyadh, the cleanroom was entirely fabricated and pre-assembled at Kaizen’s facility in Pune. The process included the following tests and checks

– Structural load tests for the ceiling truss system

– Door sensor performance checks

– Visual inspections and surface finish approvals

To simplify the installation process, especially at an overseas location, each part was clearly labelled, and a comprehensive step-by-step installation manual was created. The entire system was then securely packed and shipped to Saudi Arabia in sea-worthy packing. At the intended destination, the cleanroom was successfully installed and commissioned, attesting to Kaizen Airtreat’s expertise.

Project Results & Client Benefits

• The client at the receiving end received a fully operational, ISO Class 7 cleanroom with all its parts and components in order and which in their assembled state are supporting their clean and safe bottle-filling activity.
• A complete turnkey cleanroom solution, the plant supplied by Kaizen Airtech continues to operate smoothly as desired.
• Clear glass walls, part of the structure, brought about easy visibility and better supervision.
• Enhanced safety in the form of door-triggered slowdown of filling machines was provided with the use of sensors.
• A modular and easy-to-install system for efficient international deployment was something that Kaizen Airtech’s personnel gained experience in.

Manufacturing, Testing, & Delivery

To ensure safety and reliability, structural validation included

• Simulation-based structural testing.
• Load distribution analysis.
• Material strength and safety compliance reports.

Conclusion

The project highlights Kaizen Airtreat’s capability to deliver high-quality, custom-engineered Modular Clean Rooms for beverages to any location globally. Meeting Coca-Cola’s strict hygiene, safety, and operational needs, our cleanroom solution showcases our commitment to excellence in projects that match international standards. As of now, the cleanroom continues to support efficient and contamination-free bottling at Coca-Cola’s Riyadh facility.