Clean performance in sterilizers – with HEROSE safety valves

Sterile instruments are a must before each operation. The MMM company is one of the worldwide leading manufacturers of sterilizers. A press coverage from the plant in Brno

Infections represent by far the greatest threat to our health. The healthy body can easily avert minor infectious diseases. However, if the person is weakened or pathogenic agents are present in greater concentration, each infection is an extreme burden for the person and the organism. In order to prevent this threat, the Münchener Medizin Mechanik GmbH, or in a short form, MMM is engaged in the development and implementation of treatment systems which help people to become and remain healthy by the creation of sterile environments. For many years, HEROSE has been supplying safety valves to this enterprise, which counts among the leading suppliers in this field worldwide with its 900 coworkers.
Apart from research and pharmaceutical laboratories, hospitals are the most important group of purchasers of MMM products. Doctors must be able to rely on the absolute cleanliness of their instruments before using them for their operations. This is guaranteed by steam sterilizers in which scalpels, forceps and scissors are purifi ed after each use. These sterilizers are highly complex apparatuses which are produced in various sizes by MMM. Within MMM, there are two production locations with the plant Stadlern/Oberpfalz (Germany) and BMT in Brno (Czech Republic). In the assembly plant Stadlern, MMM mainly produces sterilizers for Germany and Western Europe. On the other hand, BMT is strongly export-oriented.
Site visit in Brno: 400,000 residents, second largest city of the Czech Republic. The BMT company was founded in 1921 and after the 2. World War, it delivered sterilizers for Eastern European countries. For around four decades, BMT was the most important manufacturer of these products in the whole Comecon area, which was the Eastern counterpart of EEG at that time.

A steam sterilizer consists of four assembly groups

BMT has belonged to the MMM Group since 1992. Petr Vanek, Purchasing Manager of BMT Medical Technology s.r.o., which is the official name of the company, says self-assuredly:”Our instruments have always had a good reputation.” And this reputation has been sustauned even till today: So just as before, Russia belongs to the largest customers of the Czech company, which had also produced X-ray equipment for dentists until 1994. However, the most intensively growing markets are located overseas: in Canada and the USA. Around 360 co-workers are active for BMT, the factory is located in the heart of the city. Individual parts are only manufactured upon individual customer orders.
A tour through production. A steam sterilizer consists of four main assembly groups the steam generator, the pressure vessel – the actual sterilization chamber – the control and the so-called piping. In addition a safety valve is always installed in this area, which discharges the extremely high steam pressure in the case of emergencies. The HEROSE safety valves 06380 and 06395 are applied here. Sales Manager Volker Maass: “MMM belongs to our most important customers in this areas.”
Thomas Beutlhauser, Manager of Materials Management of the MMM Group knows how to appreciate the quality of HEROSE products as well as the dependability of delivery and the service. Last but not least: “Even the innovation capability of HEROSE is convincing for us. We are discussing new valves of stainless steel at the moment.”

Technical challenges are continuously increasing

The production time – or through-put time as the experts are saying – takes around six weeks for a sterilizer in Brno. Chief Executive Officer Weinhold: “The production of the pressure tank alone, which is a complex welding operation, is highly demanding.” One should not forget the numerous test runs and final tests. Weinhold: “Even the sterilizers produced by us in Brno are subject to the highly stringent German Medical Product Act. The TÜV Bayern looks also appropriately closely at the processes, with which body we are in a close collaboration.” The technical requirements regarding sterilizers are continuously increasing. Weinhold: “As a consequence of new techniques such as microinvasive operations, the openings and tubes in the instruments are becoming ever smaller and accordingly, their sterilization is increasingly difficult.”

In Brno, sterilizers with volumetric capacities between 15 and 1500 liters are produced, costing between 8000 and 100,000 EUR. The partner company MMM even produces equipment up to 5000 liters in its Bavarian plant facility in Stadlern. Norbert Weinhold: “However, we manufacture not only sterilizers but also provide complete solutions around sterilization and disinfecting equipment for hospitals, scientific institutes, laboratories and the pharmaceutical industry.”

HEROSE valves for steam applications

Check valve type 05416
Strainer type 08417
Safety valves type 06217, type 06380, type 06395

(c) Photo on top: BMT Brünn