Ventilteknologi til procesindustri

KM Rustfri A/S, an SME from the municipality of Skive, Denmark has a long and renowned history as a supplier of high quality stainless steel fittings for sanitary industries – i.e. breweries, dairies and pharmaceutical industry.

For a while, the company had been fostering an idea for a new hydraulic actuator for the sanitary market to replace current valve technology in these industries, which is invariably based on the use of compressed air.  The key driver for hydraulic technology is an anticipated 50 percent reduction in operating costs for process plants, primarily to be generated from energy savings related to the use of fluids instead of compressed air.

A number of difficulties, however, had prevented KM from implementing their idea. In particular, the company needed external partners and funding required to overcome the real difficulties of developing a new actuator and valve, respecting industry requirements for performance, cleanliness and design.

Innovayt first identified the European Research for SMEs Programme as the appropriate grant instrument for KM Rustfri. Through its i-Funding service, Innovayt assisted in recruiting partners and drafting the application. Based on the application, KM was matched with highly competent R&D partners, and a total of 1.25 million euro was granted from the EU for the project.

The EU funded project has now been finalised, producing a successful and working prototype as its main result. On this basis, Innovayt has recently assisted KM Rustfri in preparing yet another EU application targeting co-funding for the developed actuator and valve.  The second application has secured additional EU co-funding for upscaled demonstration of the actuator in a real brewery facility during 2011 and 2012.