What Pigging Is & How It Works
Pigging pushes the product left in your pipelines to its destination – so instead of being rinsed away, you keep it, pack it, and sell it.
Manufacturers use pigging to increase yield, reduce waste, minimize water use and speed up production changeovers for greater overall efficiency.
How Pigging Works (Quick Explanation)
A pigging system uses a specialist projectile (called the “pig”) which is slightly larger than the pipeline. The pig is introduced into the line and pushed through using pressure.
As it travels, it clears the pipe and recovers the remaining product. Pigs are inserted, housed, and returned via pig launchers and receivers, and the recovered liquid is collected or continues through processing.
Pigging System Benefits at a Glance
| Your Operational Challenge | How HPS Pigging Systems Solve It |
|---|---|
| 🫗 Product waste | Recovers up to 99.5% of product from pipelines |
| ⏱️ Long, slow cleaning | Reduces cleaning time by up to 83% (hours → minutes) |
| 💧 High water consumption | Cuts water use by up to 70% |
| ⚡ Excessive energy use | Reduces heating, cooling & pumping requirements |
| ⏸️ Production downtime | Enables faster changeovers & increased uptime |
| 📈 Rising costs | Maximises yield from raw materials & ingredients |
Where Pigging Is Used
Pigging is used wherever liquids are processed:
- Chocolate & confectionery
- Sauces, dressings & condiments
- Soft drinks & beverages
- Personal care & cosmetics
- Homecare liquids
- Paints, coatings & chemicals
- Pet food & wet mixes
If you pump it, you can pig it.
How HPS Pigging Transformed DCS Manufacturing
A major personal care manufacturer switched from IBCs to large holding tanks and installed eight HPS pigging systems. The result:
- 93% reduction in waste
- 83% faster washout times
- Sanitisation time cut from 2–3 hours to ~15 minutes
- Minimal effluent and labour required
- Fast, reliable, fully automated changeovers
Pigging enabled higher throughput, improved product quality, and major efficiency gains across multiple production lines.
Pigging FAQS
Got questions about pigging? Here are some of the most common ones:
-
Is pigging suitable for my product?
Yes – HPS pigging technology works with most liquids and wet products.
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How much product can I recover?
Typically up to 99.5%, depending on your line.
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Can pigging integrate with existing equipment?
Yes. HPS designs systems to work with your current tanks, fillers, pumps and automation.
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How fast is ROI?
Extremely fast, depending on product value, changeover frequency and other factors.
Why Choose HPS for Pigging Systems
✓ Specialists for 30+ Years
30+ years specializing in hygienic pigging
✓ Proven Global Experience
2,000+ systems installed worldwide
✓ Unmatched Safety & Reliability
Industry-leading safety, automation & reliability
✓ Trusted Across Industries
Proven results across food, beverage, personal care, homecare, chemicals, paints & more
✓ Complete End-to-End Service
Full service: design, manufacturing, implementation, commissioning & support
✓ Advanced, Intelligent Technology
Includes AccuTect pig detection and custom-engineered solutions
