Reliable companions: Rapid roll-up doors in service for over 20 years

The products leaving the plant in Offenburg cover an unprecedented range of applications. They range from milk-based and food-based ingredient specialties to pharmaceutical specialty products: the focus today is on drying as well as refining, and the results are used in foods, dietary supplements, and pharmaceutical excipients among other applications. As diverse as the products and their manufacturing processes are, so varied are the uses and locations of the many high-speed roll-up doors from EFAFLEX used in the plant.

The factory premises in the heart of Offenburg were established between 1952 and 1969 around the old dairy operation from 1944. New products required new production equipment. In turn, more modern buildings had to be constructed. "With the growth of our company, there have been repeated additions and conversions here," reports Frank Bonacker, Central Project Planning. During a tour of the facility, he points out some of the high-speed roll-up doors. "These doors from EFAFLEX are sometimes over 20 years old," he says. "Some of them have already undergone several removals and re-installations within the plant due to changes."

Especially the production rooms as well as the filling and packaging lines are hermetically sealed with the EFA-SRT®EC cleanroom doors. Since 1993, the company has been active as a contract manufacturer and reliable partner for well-known companies in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Like many companies producing for these sectors, Schwarzwaldmilch Offenburg operates many production sectors with under- or overpressure. "In these areas, the EFA-SRT® EC (Easy Clean) guarantees a very high airtightness, so the room pressure remains stable."

In other departments of the regional dairy, the fast doors from EFAFLEX maintain an overpressure. For example, auxiliary materials produced for the pharmaceutical industry must not be contaminated by foreign particles. The airflow must therefore always escape from the room when a door opens. This creates a barrier against invading substances.

But doors from EFAFLEX are not only installed in the plant to maintain pressure differences. In the shipping warehouse, for example, a consistent temperature must be maintained for the employees. Thanks to the high opening and closing speeds of the doors, combined with very short open phases, the hall around the door area does not cool down too much in the cold season. "Here in the shipping department, we probably have one of the first EFAFLEX doors installed in the plant," noted Frank Bonacker. "Like some other doors, this one has been moved at least once from another installation site within the plant. You can't tell by looking at the doors. And they still work perfectly after many years. I would always buy from EFAFLEX again."

Specialist for gentle spray drying

Schwarzwaldmilch GmbH Offenburg can look back on over 80 years of tradition. In 1932, the Ortenauer Milk Trading Agency was founded in Offenburg's East City. In 1935, the current site on Okenstraße was acquired. As early as the 1950s, Schwarzwaldmilch GmbH Offenburg was known as a manufacturer of quark, yogurt, butter, and cream cheese. Increasingly, they also produced feed and powder nutrition, liquid and special nutrition. Since then, Schwarzwaldmilch GmbH Offenburg has specialized in the technological areas of drying, filtration, separation, and fermentation. Since 1993, Schwarzwaldmilch GmbH Offenburg has also been a contract manufacturer for food, dietary supplements, and pharmaceutical excipients. In 2005, the fresh production was completely consolidated at the Freiburg Schwarzwaldmilch location. Since then, Schwarzwaldmilch GmbH Offenburg's focus has been on milk and food drying as well as contract manufacturing.

Technical Information High-Speed Roll-Up Door EFA-SRT® EC

The high-performance high-speed doors were developed by EFAFLEX engineers in close collaboration with the food industry. The EFA-SRT® EC is the optimized solution for all interior passages with the highest hygienic requirements. The doors are used worldwide in hygienic areas. The EFA-SRT® EC is the only hygienic roll-up door recommended by the Federal Association of Food Inspectors (BVLK) for the food sector.

The entire roll-up door construction is standard in stainless steel. The elastic curtain meets HACCP and FDA requirements. Thanks to the space-saving roll-up design, the EFA-SRT® EC can also be used in tight installation situations. The locking of the frame covers can be easily released, and the frames can be folded open for cleaning. The BVLK specifically points out the possibility of foam cleaning and cleaning with a steam cleaner.

The cover of the roll-up door winding shaft is inclined to allow liquids to drain and prevent dripping onto the track or food products. The roll-up door cover can be easily swung upward with simple hand movements, allowing easy cleaning of the underside and good access to the winding shaft itself.

The design of the EFA-SRT® EC is meticulously thought out down to the smallest detail. The counterweights for balancing are protected against corrosion by a special coating. The electrical and electronic components of the microprocessors and frequency converters are housed in a control cabinet made of V2A steel with protection class IP 65.