ISTOBAL’s HW’INTRAWASH improving reefer trailer washouts
ISTOBAL, which aims to deliver cutting-edge solutions for food haulers, intermodal transporters, refrigerated fleets and grocery chains, says its internationally patented ISTOBAL HW’INTRAWASH system simplifies food safety compliance, and increases the frequency and quality of trailer washouts.
The HW’INTRAWASH can be programmed to meet the most demanding food safety compliance requirements, the company said, including US FDA/FSMA (Food Safety Modernization Act) guidelines. With the HW’INTRAWASH, food protection professionals can now standardize and calibrate trailer washouts and better manage threats to food safety.
Introduced a year ago, the HW’INTRAWASH offers food haulers a tool to meet the everyday challenge of providing sanitary transportation for food products.
“I believe that the HW’INTRAWASH is the best tool available today for washing and sanitizing trailers for grocery operations; the system cleans more thoroughly and efficiently than standard manual washouts,” said Phil Schuyler of ISTOBAL equipment distributor Envirochem, which recently installed a HW’INTRAWASH at a distribution center for one of the largest grocery chains in the United States.
Charger Logistics and Grupo Mazo also stand out among success stories. Charger Logistics is an industry leader in North America and recognized as an innovative leader in refrigerated food transportation. Grupo Mazo, on the other hand, is a leading refrigeration transport company in Spain.
Charger, an early adopter of the ISTOBAL HW’INTRAWASH, has this equipment at its facilities in Laredo TX and soon will install another unit in Brampton, Canada, ISTOBAL said. The company reports they have reduced the time it takes to clean trailers, while also sanitizing them more consistently. With a fleet of more than 800 trucks and 2,000 trailers, Charger washes up to 300 trailers a week.
Grupo Mazo says the HW’INTRAWASH helps it comply with the IFS (International Featured Standard) certification that applies to the food supply chain. With HW’INTRAWASH, Grupo Mazo tripled the interior cleaning of its fleet of more than 1,000 trucks, and reduced the consumption of chemical products due to the equipment’s highly accurate chemical dosing system, ISTOBAL said.
The HW’INTRAWASH is easily mounted to a dock or used with a mobile platform. It has a telescoping head that moves inside the trailer, performing a high-pressure wash and sanitization while dragging dirt and debris to the exterior to be collected by an optional debris hopper. The highly accurate chemical dosing system also provides greater control in the consumption of water and chemical products, translating into cost savings.
When compared with manual trailer washouts, the HW’INTRAWASH offers companies a 65% or better reduction in wash time, the company maintained. The average time allocated for an employee-based, manual cleaning of a trailer is 15-20 minutes, with the quality of sanitization largely dependent on the rigor with which the chemical is applied. The HW’INTRAWASH can wash and sanitize trailer interiors up to 53 feet long with a standard five-minute program, while also providing a safer and healthier working environment for employees and simplifying compliance with OSHA safety guidelines.
