Client
Coastal Foods
Industry
Seafood & Frozen Foods Processing
Challenge
Cross-contamination from improperly cleaned gumboots and inconsistent hand hygiene caused repeated audit failures and food safety risks.
Background
Coastal Foods, a large-scale seafood exporter, operates in an environment where floor hygiene and footwear sanitation are crucial. With large volumes of raw produce and high footfall in the processing unit, their traditional boot wash zones and scattered hygiene checkpoints were failing to meet audit benchmarks.
Facing contamination risks and increased pressure from international buyers to upgrade hygiene protocols, the Coastal Foods team approached Nexgen to implement a more structured, foolproof hygiene solution at all key entry points.
Nexgen, a leader in industrial hygiene systems, deployed its Gumboot Cleaning Machine with All-in-One Hygiene Station, an integrated entry control unit designed to automate and enforce complete hygiene routines before any personnel enter food-grade zones.
Challenges
Inadequate hygiene practices led to the following operational problems for Coastal Foods:
Footwear Contamination
Residues from wet floors and fish processing areas remained on soles and boot sides, introducing bacteria into sterile zones.
Non-Standardized Hygiene Protocols
Multiple hygiene stations were spread out, causing steps like hand washing or sanitizing to be skipped frequently.
Audit Red Flags
Multiple compliance breaches during third-party and buyer audits due to missing logs and poor cleaning effectiveness.
Increased Cleaning Downtime
Manual scrubbing and water spraying slowed entry for shift workers and didn’t meet sanitation expectations.
Low Staff Accountability
No system was in place to monitor individual hygiene adherence before entering sensitive areas.
Solution: Gumboot Cleaning Machine with All in One Hygiene Station
Nexgen deployed its advanced Gumboot Cleaning Machine integrated with a Full Hygiene Station, engineered to enforce a 3-step sanitation process for each worker. The unit included:
Gumboot Sole & Side Cleaner
Rotating brush rollers and sensor-triggered jets thoroughly cleaned and disinfected gumboot soles and sides within 12 seconds.
Touch-Free Hand Washing & Sanitization
Automated soap, water, and air drying units ensured staff washed and sanitized hands as part of the sequence.
Access-Controlled Entry Gate
Turnstile gates only opened when all steps were completed, eliminating human error or skipped hygiene routines.
Stainless Steel Food-Grade Construction
Fully washable, corrosion-resistant design ideal for seafood and wet-processing environments.
Optional RFID Tracking & Data Logging
Captured individual hygiene compliance records to support audit trails and accountability.
Implementation
Nexgen followed a 3-phase rollout plan over 5 weeks:
- Phase 1 : Custom Design & Planning : Site layouts, entry traffic, and gumboot types were analyzed to configure the system to Coastal Foods’ workflow.
- Phase 2 : Pilot Testing & Calibration : A live test unit was installed for 10 days to ensure cleaning effectiveness and gate timing accuracy.
- Phase 3 : Full-Scale Installation & Training : Multiple hygiene stations were deployed at production entry points. Staff were trained on usage, maintenance, and audit support features.
Results
The new hygiene system yielded tangible improvements across Coastal Foods’ operations:
Improved Hygiene Compliance
Coastal Foods achieved a 99.3% hygiene compliance rate after implementing the Nexgen hygiene station.
Fewer Contamination Incidents
Contamination events dropped to less than one per month across all production zones.
Faster Shift Entry
Average entry time per worker reduced from 3.7 minutes to 1.9 minutes, minimizing delays.
Reduced Manpower Requirement
Only one staff member was needed for hygiene supervision, down from four.
Client Testimonial
“Nexgen’s hygiene system helped us meet global standards without slowing production. The gumboot cleaning station and automated handwashing now make compliance part of the routine. Audits are smoother, and our buyers have noticed the difference.”
– Quality Control Head, Coastal Foods
Conclusion
By implementing Nexgen’s Gumboot Cleaning Machine with All-in-One Hygiene Station, Coastal Foods transformed a major hygiene vulnerability into a process strength. The fully automated system not only protected product integrity and staff safety but also strengthened audit-readiness and international buyer confidence.
If your facility needs a similar hygiene upgrade, talk to the Nexgen team today and customize a solution that fits your production floor.
Note:
For confidentiality reasons, the actual name of our client has not been disclosed in this case study. Instead, we have used the general name “Coastal Foods” to demonstrate the performance of Nexgen’s Gumboot Cleaning Machine with All-in-One Hygiene Station. This allows us to maintain client privacy while showcasing the impact of Nexgen’s hygiene innovation.