Van Holten's Pickles Connect with Safety and Savings

Van Holten’s Pickles: Quick Electrical Connections that Minimize Downtime, Expenditures and Safety Risks

• QUICK DISCONNECTION AND RECONNECTION OF EQUIPMENT

• LONGTERM DURABILITY THAT SAVES MONEY 

• BUILT-IN LOTO AND VISUAL VERIFICATION OF DE-ENERGIZATION

Introduction:

Founded 1898 in Milwaukee, Van Holten’s Pickles is best known for creating the original Pickle-In-A-Pouch^®. Now headquartered in Waterloo, WI, the company produces approximately 18 million individually wrapped pickles a year.

While expanding operations with a new 53,000 sq. ft. facility, Van Holten’s sought to modernize its electrical infrastructure. They wanted a washdown-ready electrical connection point that would improve safety, reduce downtime, and lower long-term costs, all without disrupting production or complicating maintenance.  

The Challenge: 

Van Holten’s relied on twist-lock and pin-and-sleeve connectors paired with separate disconnect switches to power pumps, conveyors, and other equipment throughout the facility. In the harsh pickling environment, a world of salt, moisture, acid, and heat, these antiquated electrical connections frequently failed and significantly affected worker safety and production lines.

Problems Van Holten’s frequently faced included:

• Premature Equipment Failure: Brass contacts corroded and often welded together, requiring frequent replacement.

• Safety Risks: Workers could insert or remove plugs without first verifying de-energization at a separate disconnect switch.

• Increased Downtime: Frequent failures and maintenance interruptions slowed production.

• Higher Long-Term Costs: Replacing failed plugs and switches added up quickly in both labor and material costs.

• Van Holten’s needed a safer, more durable electrical connection that could withstand their unique conditions while supporting fast changeouts.

The MELTRIC^® Solution: 

In seeking an answer to these challenges, Van Holten’s discovered MELTRIC^® Switch-Rated plugs and receptacles. Because MELTRIC devices are UL branch circuit disconnect and horsepower-rated, they allow operators to safely connect and disconnect equipment under full load and meet NEC requirements for a line-of-sight disconnect.

Project Engineer Arland Wingate explains that most pumps and conveyors are not hard-wired, allowing equipment to be quickly disconnected for repair or replacement. With MELTRIC, electrical safety during these changeouts became far less of a concern. Built-in safety shutters and internal arc chambers prevent exposure to live parts and arc flash, while the integrated disconnect eliminates the need for a separate disconnect switch enclosure.

Wingate recalls, “when I first saw [MELTRIC], I thought they would work well for us, but we weren’t ready to change everything over. The new plant gave us an opportunity to include the conversion in the budget, so we made it our standard.”

Results/Benefits:

Since implementing MELTRIC Switch-Rated plugs and receptacles, Van Holten’s realized measurable improvements across safety, reliability, and cost:

• Improved Safety: Integrated disconnects, safety shutters, and lockout/tagout capability reduce the risk of accidental energization.

• Reduced Downtime: Quick-break operation and durable construction eliminate contact welding and arcing issues.

• Long-Term Cost Savings: Corrosion-resistant solid silver-nickel contacts significantly reduce replacement frequency.

• Simplified Electrical Infrastructure: Eliminating separate disconnect switches removes failure points and simplifies maintenance.

• Harsh Environment Performance: Type 4X-rated devices perform reliably even when regularly splashed with brine.

Most applications operate at 440 V, with additional 230 V equipment across production and maintenance areas. MELTRIC devices are also used on welders, saws, and exterior power connections for mobile equipment, such as cucumber loading machines.

In the words of: Arland Wingate, Project Engineer

Wingate emphasized that durability and total cost of ownership were major factors in the decision:

“The heat and harsh atmosphere ruined the previous plugs. The brass contacts often corroded and welded together. We had been buying a lot of replacements.”

Looking at the long view, he adds:

“Our company has been in business for 100 years, and I try to look at the long term when I buy things for the plant.”

Wingate also values the integrated disconnect design:

“I liked the idea of not needing a separate plug and disconnect box. It not only costs less, but it eliminates one more thing to go wrong in our environment. Before, it was too easy for someone to disconnect something and forget to lock it out properly.”

After a year of operation in washdown areas, the results speak for themselves:

“We’ve not had any scoring of the contacts because of the quick break, and we don’t have to worry about arcing or corrosion buildup.”

With plans underway to triple the size of its tank yard, Van Holten’s intends to continue standardizing on MELTRIC Switch-Rated devices for pumps, conveyors, and low-pressure blowers, extending the same safety and reliability benefits across future expansions.

For food and beverage facilities looking to swap lines quickly, save money, and ensure safety, MELTRIC DSN and DS devices are a proven processing solution.

 Contact MELTRIC to try a free plug and receptacle today. Make safety and durability top priorities in food and beverage industries.