The food and beverage sector is the largest manufacturing sector in the Australian economy and continues to grow. The Australian Government expects that by 2030 the industry will double in revenue with a focus on smart food and beverage manufacturing.
Technology used in food production systems needs to be more flexible and adaptable, while maintaining the highest hygienic standards. In particular, the control of liquids and gases demands greater process performance and networkability, and the equipment used needs to interface seamlessly.
Bürkert recognises these needs and has many years of experience in the food and beverage industry worldwide and in Australia. It offers a range of modular valves, actuators and control heads that can be adapted to suit almost every food and beverage process.
The company’s recently appointed national food and beverage manager, James Emerson, has set his sights on growing the Australian food and beverage industry by partnering with customers in supporting their processes with the right product range – building certainty and reliability while helping control costs.
“I believe we have something very unique with the ELEMENT range,” said Emerson. “It’s a proven performer in the food and beverage environment, with the ability to directly connect via the latest automation protocols, which makes the range hard to ignore for any project manager seeking to future-proof plant processes.”
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Emerson said the market had already started to show signs of moving towards more unique offerings.
“We are definitely seeing an upward trend in the implementation of IO-Link-based control, and this trend is apparent across both greenfield and brownfield projects,” he said.
“Bürkert has this covered with our ELEMENT 8691/92 and 8681 control tops, proven in the field for well over a decade.”
Bürkert’s hygienic ELEMENT range has been optimised for food and beverage process control and allows for an easy and robust integration of actuators, positioners and process controllers, while also offering reliable and long-lasting ingress protection for use in wet and humid areas.
Multiple combinations of control head, actuator and fluidic valve body can be configured seamlessly to build the required control element for any application.
The ELEMENT control heads offer a compact, integrated pilot valve, teachable, contact-free position feedback sensor and Nema-compliant coloured LEDs for status indication. Other features include digital communication via AS-interface, Ethernet, IO-Link or Bürkert büS, which can be configured to communicate with an existing fieldbus network.
Bürkert offers OEM and customer transparency on price, installation, and customer support.
Bürkert’s range is comprehensive, with fit-for-purpose combinations that can be supplied, integrated with third-party valves, ready to install without long project lead times.
“The ELEMENT range has clean lines and is constructed of the right materials for the F&B sector,” added Emerson.
“I would encourage anyone who has an upcoming project, big or small, to reach out, obligation free, and discuss their requirements in future-proofing the plant’s operations in line with their customer needs.”