Evoguard: 500,000 valves and counting

In late 2010, Krones premiered its own series of valves that were manufactured in-house. Then, in 2014, the company spun off its valve technology operations into Evoguard GmbH. The new company’s portfolio has grown steadily ever since, to include not only disk, seat, and double-seat valves but also aseptic seat and double-seat valves as well as pumps. And now, Evoguard has reached another historic milestone: The 500,000th valve has been sold – to the Portuguese Perfinox Group.

Sales Director Ivo Oliveira and Sandrina Mortagua, Sales Manager for Cambra-Sistem, Perfinox’s subsidiary for after-sales service, shared with us what they especially appreciate about the Krones subsidiary Evoguard.

Mr. Oliveira, Ms. Mortagua, what type of valve is this milestone valve? And do you know where it will be used? 

Ivo Oliveira: It’s a classic disk valve. To be honest, we didn’t track exactly where it will be serving. But since our main activities are in food processing, we can say with some certainty that its application will also be in that field.

You first encountered Evoguard at the Anuga trade fair in 2017. And just a few months later, you ordered your first valves from them. What made you choose Evoguard? 

Ivo Oliveira: There are several reasons why we decided to buy our valves from Evoguard. 
First, we like to think of ourselves as ambassadors for stainless steel. Particularly with respect to hygiene and longevity, stainless steel has exceptionally good material properties that are crucial in production. And, just as we do, Evoguard also puts its trust in this material. 

Another factor was sustainability, which ideally will be reflected in our operating costs. Evoguard valves consume considerably less compressed air and cleaning agents than their counterparts from other manufacturers. 

Sandrina Mortagua: We also liked the valves’ intelligent design. It makes maintenance and cleaning extremely easy. And even more importantly, the valves meet the highest safety standards. For example, while valve seals can often be hard to access, Evoguard has made it so that technicians can replace them quite easily, with no risk of injury. 

Another point that played a role in our decision was, of course, that the pumps and valves carry the necessary certifications.

Evoguard valves consume considerably less compressed air and cleaning agents than their counterparts from other manufacturers. Ivo OliveiraPerfinox

What certifications are those exactly? 

Sandrina Mortagua: Three certifications were important to us.

The valves meet the 3A sanitary standards prescribed by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is extremely important when it comes to hygiene requirements in the food industry. The same is true of the European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group (EHEDG) certification. Similarly, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) certification gives us confidence that the company implements relevant quality assurance processes and that the products and parts are safe, of high quality, and will work reliably. 

Evoguard is a Krones subsidiary. Did that figure into your decision-making?

Ivo Oliveira: Definitely. For us, the fact that the valves are not only “Made in Germany” but also “Made within the Krones Group” was very persuasive. 

Why is that? 

Ivo Oliveira: Krones has decades of experience in the food and beverage industry and stands for quality, innovation, and dependability – that last point being key. For us, it’s simply essential to have a reliable partner who’s in it for the long term. We aren’t interested in short-lived business relationships for the sake of expediency. And, just as we had expected, Evoguard has proven to be every bit as interested in long-term partnership as we are.

Does Perfinox use only Evoguard valves? 

Ivo Oliveira: If it were up to us, we would. But the decision is also our customers’. As of today, though, around 90 percent of the valves we have installed are from Evoguard.

How was the transition from your previous valves to Evoguard? 

Sandrina Mortagua: What’s the saying? All beginnings are difficult. The challenge in the transition was the marking of the individual components. Every company uses its own parts identification numbers, and Evoguard is no different. Our service technicians first had to get used to the new barcodes and learn them. 

How did you accomplish that? 

Sandrina Mortagua: Evoguard provided excellent training support. There again, our decision to go with Evoguard proved correct. They made it easy for our employees to quickly learn the new markings and avert any serious issues. Now, it’s as if our service technicians have always used these barcodes.