Critical Process Filtration

Filtration is a critical part of the manufacturing process for several industries, and the Food and Beverage (F&B) industry is one of the biggest. Given the need to consistently meet rigorous industry quality standards for contamination control and packaged food, companies are readily adopting effective filtration systems to remove impurities and extend the shelf life of consumable products. Industry veteran, Fred Arbogast, has many years of experience in the filtration industry, having worked for several major manufacturers over the duration of his career. He says, “When manufacturers consider filtration systems in the F&B industry, they need to deal with products and systems that don’t change the quality of their product. Some filtration media strip out both color and taste, whereas some have certain extractables in them, which impart a taste to the product.” Arbogast notes that most don’t have the necessary expertise to know the right filter function, filter type, and filtration media, which would best suit a specific application. In addition to that, customers faced problems with long lead times from large filtration suppliers. Arbogast, along with entrepreneur Kristen Ramalho, founded Critical Process Filtration in 1998, to address these problems.

As a vertically integrated manufacturer and supplier of premium process filtration products and services, Critical Process Filtration has been garnering huge traction in the market due to its quality of products, technical expertise, and fast delivery time (products typically ship in 5 business days).

The company offers cost-effective, high-quality filtration solutions, which include a wide variety of cartridge, capsule and flat disc filtration products that are used both in the analytical laboratory and on the process line of F&B companies. When it comes to providing media-specific filtration products, the company offers a full range of membrane and depth media choices such as PES (Polyethersulphone), PVDF (Polyvinylidenefluoride), Polypropylene, Nylon 6,6, Fiberglass and more. Critical Process Filtration even sources other proprietary media and membrane materials while providing the technical support from initial inquiry through installation and the life of the operation. "We have both the breadth of products and the expertise necessary to improve the filtration process in the F&B industry. With our background in the field, we know how to optimize a company’s overall performance and cost,” asserts Arbogast.

In one instance, a client company had a product that was supposed to be pasteurized for sterilization and then packaged for distribution. Somehow, a spoilage organism had appeared on the package on the shelf. The company was in turmoil as this meant that it had to recall the product from the market. The company contacted Critical Process Filtration to control and limit the damage. “We identified a thermophilic microorganism that was heat resistant and could withstand the pasteurization cycle. Our aim was to remove the organism by creating a membrane of the correct pore size,” explains Arbogast. As the standard membrane could result in getting clogged up, the company prepared a hybrid membrane. This way, the company was able to capture the microorganism while keeping the cost of filtration to the minimum.

Always on the lookout for bringing better value to their customers, the company is currently working on a multi million-dollar project that has 25,000 sq. feet of additional space for designing the manufacturing footprint to streamline production. “We have newly engineered proprietary machinery that will bring greater efficiency to our production line, and we are expanding the business offices at the same site. We do this because ever since we started the company, we have been financially healthy and enjoyed double-digit growth,” concludes Arbogast. The company has always been focused on planned growth, building strong customer relationships and a highly qualified team. This is perhaps why it is no surprise that even after being in the industry for more than 20 years, Critical Process Filtration continues to be a leading filtration manufacturer for major corporations in several industries.