In the food industry, hygiene cannot be treated as a separate stage from the production process. How easily a system can be cleaned and inspected depends first and foremost on how it has been designed: geometry, materials, accessibility, drainage and the ability to intervene quickly on individual components therefore become key factors when selecting a conveying system.
This is the principle behind M.H. Material Handling’s experience in Hygienic Design. With solutions such as Sani-Flex, the company has developed modular conveyors in AISI 304 stainless steel featuring an open structure, no horizontal surfaces or hollow tubular sections, continuous welds and components designed to simplify cleaning and maintenance operations. The chain can also be lifted manually during cleaning, providing easier access to areas of the conveyor that would normally remain hidden.
The focus therefore extends beyond the parts that come into direct contact with the product to the entire machine, ensuring that areas requiring inspection and sanitation can be reached easily and without the use of tools. M.H. is now taking this approach one step further by working together with Steam Italy to integrate steam cleaning directly into the conveyor. The project includes a dedicated head fitted with a treatment chamber positioned above the conveying surface, allowing steam to be applied to the belt in a controlled manner. The aim is to treat hygienic design and sanitation as parts of the same system, rather than considering cleaning only as an operation carried out after production.
A winning combination
The collaboration brings together two complementary areas of expertise: on the one hand, the design of material handling systems for the food industry; on the other, professional steam-cleaning technology. The result is a development path aimed at integrating cleaning operations more closely with the machine itself and with the actual operating requirements of the production facility.
A first application will be showcased at Cibus Tec 2026, taking place at Fiere di Parma from 27 to 30 October. M.H. will present conveying solutions dedicated to the food industry, demonstrating in practical terms how accessibility, materials, structural design and new cleaning technologies can work together. For M.H., Hygienic Design does not simply mean building a machine in stainless steel. It means designing every detail while also considering what happens when the line stops and must be cleaned, inspected and prepared to restart. It is precisely at this meeting point between production and sanitation that the new project developed with Steam Italy takes shape.
