HTST
Are your HTST operators and maintenance technicians among the few who can follow the actual product flow through HTST system they are responsible for?
The High Temperature Short Time Pasteurizer is the most highly regulated and closely monitored system in the food industry today. However the more automated and computerized our HTST Systems become, the more the controls and operations are moved away from the actual system. This has caused our Operators and Maintenance Technicians to fall farther behind in their understanding of the actual Flow, Functionality and Operation of the HTST System.
As I travel across this country I find most well qualified HTST Operators and Maintenance Technicians are very familiar with the computer graphics and screen displays of the product flow through their operating HTST. However it is becoming more difficult to find Operators or Maintenance Technicians who can follow the actual flow of product through the physical HTST from its beginning at the product supply pump to the pasteurized routing valve at the end of the System.
This means when the HTST system does not operate the way it should or a component develops a problem and needs correcting we are losing costly amounts of processing time and efficiency. An HTST is a complex assortment of many components that must work in concert to produce a legally processed, high quality and sanitary product. A good understanding of what each component in the HTST does, why it does it and what the regulatory requirements are, is necessary to adequately operate efficiently, troubleshoot effectively and PM confidently a modern HTST System. In some cases situations require outside assistance to correct what should be quickly handled in house.
I have seen this situation arise many times as I visit plants across the country. That is why we developed the In House HTST Training for Maintenance Technicians and Operators. A brief description of this program is attached.
