Clean-in-place means that pieces do not have to be moved away from the line and taken to a special area to remove soils and pathogens, or do not require major disassembly. It can be cleaned during downtime while saving labor from moving. But its function is not something that can be taken for granted.
According to Donald F. Myers, technical services director at turkey producer Butterball LLC in Mount Olive, N.C., there are four critical aspects that define a CIP system: ease of use, as well as safety for personnel, effective cleaning of the equipment, reduced cost of chemical and labor as opposed to traditional cleaning, and reduced time beginning to end to clean.