Case Study 308

Food Safety with aSide of ROI
Ken’s Foods invests in wastewater processing
system and serves up efficiency and dependability
in the process
What started out as a signature dishin a restaurant more than 65 years
ago has today become a company
with over 400 varieties of salad
dressings and sauces. When Ken’s
Steakhouse began in 1941, theowners were in search of a special
salad and dressing to go with theirsteaks. The salad dressing soon
rivaled the steaks in popularity - anda new company was born.
Today, the company has grown to include plant
operations in Marlborough, Massachusetts,
McDonough, Georgia and Las Vegas, Nevada. The
company manufactures not only their own line ofsalad dressings, but also produces products for notablebrand such as Paul Newman’s line of dressings.
Ken’s Foods has always been dedicated to providing
customers with high quality, safe products. The
company knows that food safety begins at themanufacturing plant – so when it came time to design
its wastewater treatment system in the company’s
new Las Vegas plant, Ken’s looked for best in classsolutions. In 2002, faced with an expansion plan that
led the company to build an 185,000 square footLas Vegas plant, the salad dressing leader wanted
to ensure they had the best wastewater treatment
system available to help meet the company’s strategic
priorities. Additionally, it was important to the© 2008-2017 Gorman-Rupp Pumps

Dave Muskopf stands with one of the fivesolids-handling, self-priming centrifugal
pumps that makes up Ken’s Foods’ wastewater
treatment system.
engineering team that they incorporated a systemthat would maximize efficiencies while maintaining
as small a footprint as possible – as space “saved” inoperations is space that later can be allocated forgrowth and expansion.

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Keeping it Clean and Keeping it Safe
One of the critical issues to be addressed in any food
manufacturing plant is sanitation. “In a typical day,
we’ll get solids, entire chunks of cheese, relish, similar
produce and more into our wastewater system,”offers Dave Muskopf, Vice President of engineeringfor Ken’s Foods. The company needed a system that
could handle large solids – dependably. “These solids
can create real problems when they get through thetraps on the floor drains,” adds Muskopf. To address
the challenge, Muskopf and his team turned to World
Water Works for guidance.
World Water Works is a provider of complete turnkey
installations including design, build, installation,
startup, and operation of water or wastewater
systems. Tailored to require as little or as muchcustomer input as desired, World Water Works’engineering staff is expert at developing solutions
which provide long-term reliability and consistentperformance. Its products are constructed with stateof-the-art materials and control technology, with
an emphasis on durability. In the end, the company
strives to design solutions for customers such as
Ken’s by using a total systems approach. Brining
their expertise in treat-ability analysis, filtration andclarification, and combined with a complete line ofwater treatment products and services, the World
Water Works team was prepared to deliver top-notch
solutions to Ken’s Foods.

A Five Course Meal Approach toWastewater“We installed three solutions tanks at the new
Ken’s plant, utilizing a batch treatment solution towastewater,” shares Kyle Booth, engineer at WorldWater Works. “They fill one up, start filling the otherone, and then treat the one that’s full. Then, a pumpwill pull the wastewater from the tank and run it
through the purification system to a pH adjustment
tank – and then down the drain.” This efficient
operation keeps Ken’s operation/management
happy – as well as the local and state authorities andcustomers by maintaining strict food manufacturingsafety practices.

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Three 10 Series® and two Super T Series® trashpumps were incorporated into the system forheavy-duty solids-handling capability.
Another challenge that needed to be addressed was
the sheer volume of the wash down. “Because ofthe amount of productivity this company handles
on a day-to-day basis, the volume was an issue thatneeded to be factored long-term,” adds Booth. WorldWater Works relied on The Gorman-Rupp Company’s
Super T Series® and 10 Series® technology to address
the durability challenge. The Gorman-Rupp pumps
are integrated into the total solution. “There are fiveself-priming, centrifugal pumps down there,” explains
Booth. In the process, the first pump takes the outfall
from the plant, which is pulled up from the 24-foottank. This operation requires a lot of suction due
to the tank’s configuration. From there, the system
screens the water – making it necessary that thepumping technology can handle any trash that gets
through the drain. Next, the system pumps it into atank where the wastewater is separated from as muchof the free oil as possible. The operation forces thewastewater into equalization tanks to regain clarityand purity in the water.
“When you batch treat water, you’ve basically got
three equalization tanks. The first is filled up, theoperator checks the water and the chemistry to see
how easy or difficult it’s going to be to treat – and©©2014
2008-2017
The Gorman-Rupp
Gorman-Rupp
CompanyPumps

and other food products, the pumping technology
had to be up to the challenge of handling very largesolids reliably. The two-vane, semi-open impeller
allowed the technology to do so. Further, with thepumps’ removable cover plates, maintenance wassimple and painless, ensuring that if and when thepumps get clogged, down time would be reduced andcostly delays minimized.

Satisfied and Content“There are always unexpected, unanticipatedsituations in any treatment plant – but with thissolution and these pumps, we’ve encounteredabsolutely nothing caused our operation to shut down
the system for any period of time,” adds Muskopf. Infact, Muskopf and the rest of his engineering teamare particularly pleased with their improved ability tomonitor the system electronically via a single operator
during the treatment process.
World Water Works’ solution also incorporated
oversight of the operation’s setup and training. “Thistreatment plant was a turnkey project,” Muskopf adds.
“World Water Works handled the initial startup andtraining, but our employees run it and maintain it.”All five pumps feature the removable
coverplate design for quick and easy
maintenance access while not having todisconnect from piping.
then adjusts the chemistry accordingly to treat
the entire tank while the second and third thanks
continue to fill up,” explains Booth. “In an application
like this, where we’ve got a big section working, we
ask a lot of the pumps. That’s one of the big reasons
why we’ve chose Gorman-Rupp.”
For Booth, the equipment choice was both criticaland obvious. In the end, the company relied on The
Gorman-Rupp Super T Series technology for several
reasons – but mainly for its ability to handle solids indemanding situations. In that the nature of the watercontaminants at Ken’s Foods include chunks of cheese23

It was a little bit challenging on start up just to makesure everything was set up correctly and people werecommunicating well, working together in the mannerthat was required,” confesses Booth. “But with a strong
team and a strategic design, everything works a little
more smoothly. The operator at the Ken’s plant has
also done a great job.”

Dependability and Safety = Smart
Decisions
To many engineers, the cost associated with treating
wastewater inside a food manufacturing plant is anecessary evil – simply the cost of doing business.
Still, an investment in a dependable and wellengineered treatment system can save significant
money in the long run. “If it is not treated properly
you face problems, and possible fines from the EPA,
and municipal water and sewer authorities,” counsels
Booth. “It’s been our experience that trying to save©©2014
2008-2017
The Gorman-Rupp
Gorman-RuppCompanyPumps

money in the short term with less expensive solutions
can lead to increased costs, lost time and bad publicity
in the long run. And that’s never been an option for us
or our customers.”

About World Water Works, Inc.
World Water Works is dedicated to manufacturing themost cost effective system solutions for liquid/solids
separation. Applications in influent water clarificationand discharge compliance can be solved throughtheir total systems approach.

About The Gorman-Rupp Company
The Gorman-Rupp Company is a leading manufacturerof pumps and pumping systems for the municipal,water, wastewater, sewage, industrial, construction,petroleum and OEM markets. The company’s
Engineered Systems operation also manufactures afull line of water pressure booster stations including
pumps, motors, valves and controls – all housed inweather-proof fiberglass enclosures – meeting about
any municipal water supply need.
Ultimately, Gorman-Rupp prides itself on manufacturing
and delivering the right pump for the job.

GORMAN-RUPP PUMPS | P.O. BOX 1217 | MANSFIELD, OHIO 44901-1217 | USA | 419.755.1011 | GRSALES@GORMANRUPP.COM | GRPUMPS.COM2
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©©2014
2008-2017
The Gorman-Rupp
Gorman-Rupp
CompanyPumps