Company: Birko

Website: www.birkocorp.com

Equipment Snapshot: Beef harvest plants are known to use a lot of water for sanitation programs. Not only does that mean using a disappearing resource, but also high operation costs. Processors need to pay to pipe in water, heat it and treat outgoing water. In addition, some areas of the country experiencing drought-like conditions are enforcing stricter standards on water usage.

The patented Birko Head and Tongue Wash is proven to effectively wash heads and tongues while reducing water consumption in plants significantly. The system works by capturing each head and tongue as they enter the cabinet and spraying water with 3-dimensional, contoured arbors that oscillate, following the heads and tongues. The arbors shut off between washes and move back to the front of the cabinet to capture the next head and tongue.

A large beef processor ran a 90-day test for the Birko Head and Tongue Wash system. The results confirmed that water consumption was reduced from 14 gallons per head and tongue to seven gallons per head and tongue. The system also reduced wash time per head and tongue from 12 seconds to six seconds. Because the Head and Tongue Wash cleaned the heads and tongues effectively, the system reduced labor costs by up to $100,000 annually by eliminating the need to wash the parts manually.