Meet Mikael Hjort: Expert on diaphragm pumps and stable processes

When a pump starts to malfunction, you quickly notice it in production. The flow becomes uneven, wear increases and in the worst case the process stops completely. At the same time, pump selection and installation is something that is often left in the background, until the problems actually appear.

This is exactly the kind of situation Mikael Hjort often encounters in his work at Colly Flowtech. As technical sales support for diaphragm pumps, he works closely with customers who need to make their processes work reliably.

For Mikael, the work is rarely just about the pump itself. He analyzes the whole system and how it affects the process: what fluid you're pumping, what pressure you're using, and how you've built the piping system.

Experience with diaphragm pumps in several industrial processes

Mikael started working with pump technology in 1989 and has since then worked with diaphragm pumps in many different industrial processes. Over the years, he has met customers in everything from food production and the paint industry to the chemical, pharmaceutical and oil industries.

That experience also informs how he works today. For Mikael, the work almost always starts with understanding the process and what the pump actually needs to do.

He describes it like this:

”I realized quite early on that a pump is rarely the problem in itself. It's often more about how it's used in the system and what the rest of the process looks like.”

Whether it's pharmaceuticals, chemical processes or food, the approach is basically the same: first understand the application, then find a solution that works in operation.

How to reduce production downtime with the right pump choice

When Mikael meets a new customer, the work almost always starts by going through the process together. First, he needs to understand how the system actually works in practice, not just what the specifications say.

By analyzing the entire system, it is often possible to find adjustments that can reduce downtime in production while improving both operations and maintenance.

For example, it may be that:

adjust the operating pressure to reduce the load on the pump
review the piping for better suction conditions
choose materials that can handle liquids with abrasive particles or varying pH

After many years in the industry, Mikael knows that it rarely takes major changes to improve a process. Often it is enough to adjust a few details in the system.

Once the analysis is complete and the right solution is in place, the impact is often clearly visible in production.

When the right diaphragm pump makes a difference in production

In some projects, the right choice of pump or material can have a major impact on operations.

At one pharma customer, the customer installed pumps in several stages over time, leading to several different pump brands in the plant. The solution worked, but increased both maintenance needs and the complexity of spare parts management.

Together with the customer, we therefore reviewed the possibility of standardizing the diaphragm pumps in the plant. By analyzing the applications and choosing a more uniform pump configuration, we simplified both maintenance and spare parts management.

Similar challenges exist in other types of processes. For one customer in the chemical industry, the pumps had to handle media with pigments, abrasive particles and varying pH values.

Together with our partner Versamatic, we developed a solution with anodized aluminum pumps, which provided better wear resistance and broader chemical resistance, while making the solution more cost-effective.

The result was more stable operation and longer pump life.

Results customers often see

When pump selection and systems are optimized, it is often clearly visible in production:

more stable operation and less downtime
easier service and maintenance
reduced stock of spare parts
longer life of the pumps
more energy efficient operation

The people behind the expertise

The variation between different industries and processes is one of the things that drives Mikael most in his work. From food production to the chemical industry and pharmaceuticals, each application has its own conditions and challenges.

Close contact with customers is also an important part of the work. Many partnerships are long term, providing a deep understanding of how their processes work and evolve.

The combination of technology, problem solving and long-term relationships is what makes working with diaphragm pumps both varied and challenging.

Why Colly Flowtech?

With Mikael's experience and our wide range of diaphragm pumps, we at Colly Flowtech help customers create stable and efficient processes. We work closely with our customers to understand their applications and find solutions that work in reality, not just in theory.

With us, you don't just get a supplier, but a partner who follows you through the entire process, from initial analysis to finished solution. With the right solution, you can reduce downtime in production in the long term and create a more sustainable and efficient operation.

Want to know more about how the right diaphragm pump can improve your process? Contact Mikael Hjort at (mikael.hjort@colly.se) or (070 593 92 08) and he will be happy to help you further.

Vill du slippa driftstopp och få en stabilare pumpcykel?

Låt Mikael Hjort analysera din applikation. Med över 35 års erfarenhet hjälper han dig att hitta rätt membranpump och systemlösning för just din industriprocess.

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