Relocating a business is an ideal time to optimise your process line. A New Zealand agriculture services company needed to scale their business to meet increasing customer demand. They used the opportunity to reconsider their bulk material handling conveying solution to build new efficiencies.
Since 2001, the agriculture company has provided seed and seed mixes to businesses in the southernmost part of New Zealand. The company has their own seed products and produces custom seed mix varieties to suit each customer’s individual requirements. They do not restrict orders to bag weight and supply exact amounts farmers require. The company is committed to helping customers get the best out of their land and this means their process line must be cleaned several times a day to ensure integrity of the seed mixes.
The company mixes seed species like Ryegrass, Clover, Cocksfoot, and Timothy varieties for farmers to sow onto the fields when they renew their pastures. It is never one seed but several varieties mixed. When making changes to mixes and varieties – and different proportions of everything – staff had to physically clean the auger conveyor between batches to keep the right varieties in the right place. This process is manageable for 10 to 15 smaller lines a day. Fewer changes are needed when processing big lines.
Decreasing cleaning time a key consideration for new conveying solution
The agriculture company used an auger conveyor, which initially worked well for them. As the business grew, it became increasingly difficult to meet demand. The company relocated to a new building and warehouse to expand production capacity.
The decision was made to install another seed mixing line and get another seed mixer made. Decreasing cleaning time between lines was a key consideration.
The company made site visits to see Floveyor conveying solutions operating in Auckland and Christchurch. They were impressed with the self-cleaning capabilities of the aero-mechanical method of conveying pioneered by Floveyor. The company contacted Floveyor’s Global Head of Sales, Tristan Bower, to explore their options.
The Agribusiness described to Floveyor the grain and seed varieties they were likely to shift. Floveyor advised on the bulk materials handling and matched machine specifications and conveying capacities required to elevate materials efficiently.
The Agribusiness wanted more proficiency in their process line, including reducing manual labour and handling bulk bags. They also wanted to reduce downtime.
The conveying technology had to offer the following benefits:
– self-cleaning – reducing downtime when lines and mixes are changed
– gentle on the seed – no damage to the product, so those seeds will germinate once sewn in paddocks.
New Zealand agriculture company chooses Floveyor Elementa F4
The Agribusiness invested in a Floveyor Elementa F4 designed to handle multiple materials with a single conveyor for agricultural applications.
Floveyor’s New Zealand office presence and the direct purchase option were advantageous for the Agribusiness. Despite COVID and transportation logistics hurdles, the business was happy with Floveyor’s order fulfilment.
Floveyor’s response is “second to none” during the installation
Tristan Bower visited the Agribusiness to check quality assurance before installation. Installing the Floveyor system in a pit posed a challenge, as Tristan swiftly recognised the need for air purge nozzles due to the equipment’s height.
To meet this specific requirement, Tristan worked closely with Floveyor’s Perth factory, organising the air freighting of the essential parts.
The company was impressed with how Floveyor responded and fixed the problem. They also found the installation and operator manuals helpful.
New conveying solution improves production time by 20+% on busy days
The Agribusiness has experienced significant time savings by using a Floveyor in their seed mixing process line. Depending on the season, the company can save up to 20% of production time, per day.
It has increased the company’s capacity to mix seed due to no downtime changing between lines for cleaning.
The implementation of the new conveyor system has significantly enhanced the overall operation of the company’s entire plant. The seamless material transfer into the mixing plant, coupled with the elimination of the need for cleaning between lines, has substantially accelerated and streamlined the entire process, making it notably easier and more efficient.
Compared to their old process, the company now saves one to two hours a day with Floveyor, depending on the number and size of the seed mixes they are processing.
The Floveyor Elementa F4 is easy to operate, quiet to run, and simple to maintain. Operators are finding that Floveyor has made a significant improvement to their operation.
For more information
If you need to upgrade your agriculture process line, a Floveyor with FloDisc® Technology can decrease downtime and make your operation more efficient. Contact us to learn how.
