Maintaining a clean, safe production environment is the minimum standard for food manufacturing. When a processing plant uses multiple packaging formats, the challenge increases exponentially. That was the situation for a multinational consumer foods manufacturer whose Australian facilities process everything from bulk bags to small retail packages of flour-based, premix blends.
A call for compliant dust collection system and 100% batch transfer
The manufacturer has more than 35,000 employees globally and annual revenues exceeding USD 17 billion. The company’s Australian division has multiple production facilities supplying leading consumer brands for major Australian supermarket chains and food service providers, so operational efficiency is a top priority.
The company was challenged to produce complete batch transfers while maintaining effective dust control in a hazardous flour processing environment. Workplace safety, meeting stringent food safety standards, and a commitment to product consistency were instrumental in the decision to upgrade their bulk powder handling system.
Food manufacturing challenge: Remote dust collector fails to deliver
The company’s Australian facility needed to replace their ageing conveying and dust extraction system to accommodate increased production capacity and meet modern safety standards. Their existing batching system, while functional, had reached its capacity limit. Multiple operational challenges affecting workplace safety and batch accuracy were cropping up, triggering an internal review of their current systems.
Their food conveying system featured a bulk bag unloader feeding a flexible auger into a batching hopper on load cells. A butterfly valve released contents into a Floveyor small bag dump station, with a Floveyor aero-mechanical conveyor (AMC) transferring both bulk and minor ingredients to the mixer. However, the remote flour dust extraction system serving the dump station had become increasingly problematic.
The upstream dust extractor suffered from poor accessibility and required frequent maintenance. Located too far from the operators, it was neglected and became unreliable over time, often clogging and reducing flour dust capture efficiency. The operations team wanted to:
- Replace the remote dust extraction set-up with an integrated dust collection system, ideally from one vendor
- Achieve compliance with IECEx Zone 21 hazardous area standards
- Eliminate residue and bridging within the hopper that were affecting batch accuracy
- Improve operator accessibility for cleaning and maintenance
- Maintain 100% batch transfer to ensure all ingredients reached the mixer
- Achieve consistent 15 tph throughput.
The company had multiple Floveyor AMCs with years of reliable service in their operation. Based on an excellent history with their existing Floveyor equipment, both in Australia and globally, the company contacted Floveyor to help them develop an integrated solution for their batching system upgrade.
Moving to a mobile food conveying system with integrated dust collector
Following a review of their mixing and batching process, Floveyor recommended an Elementa F4 AMC with an integrated dust collector mounted locally on a mobile frame. This ensured efficient dust capture and simplified maintenance access.
Why the AMC was selected
A Floveyor AMC with FloDisc® Technology has a fully enclosed system that is ideal for controlling dust, preventing product contamination, and ensuring safe, high-throughput transfers of hazardous materials. The Floveyor AMC provides the food manufacturers critical advantage over flexible augers and other conveying technologies that can retain product and compromise batch integrity.
The AMC was ideal for handling flour-based premix blends because it:
- Ensures 100% batch transfer with no residue remaining in the line
- Preserves batch and blend integrity through gentle conveying
- Offers a fully enclosed conveying system compliant with IECEx Zone 21 standards
- Enables rapid dry or wet cleaning to support frequent recipe changes
- Delivers consistent 15 tph throughput to minimise mixer idle time.
Why the Floveyor Elementa F4 was chosen
The Floveyor Elementa product range is designed for food-grade applications where hygiene and gentle handling are essential. The Elementa F4 met all the requirements for conveying flour-based premix blends that incorporate multiple dry ingredients, including fine and cohesive powders.
The Elementa range was selected because it:
- Features food-grade construction suitable for handling dusty flour products
- Provides compact, modular design and comes with a mobile option
- Gives operators easy cleaning options
- Delivers gentle material handling with rapid throughputs to support increased production
- Offers multiple food-grade safety features
- Supplies Australian-manufactured equipment with local engineering support.
The conveying solution provided by Floveyor
Installation and commissioning were managed by the company’s Australian team with fast, responsive support from Floveyor’s Perth headquarters.
Elementa F4 AMC (food-grade)
- Adjustable mobile frame for flexible positioning
- Bulk process inlet for premix transfer from batching hopper
- Small bag dump station with improved ergonomic and dust control features
- IECEx Zone 21 compliance with low-speed and temperature monitoring.
Integrated dust collector
- Local mounting on mobile frame for easy maintenance access
- Consistent dust capture efficiency through improved accessibility
- Integration with the Floveyor AMC encourages more regular cleaning
- Elimination of remote extraction system maintenance issues.
Hopper vibrator
- Automatic flow promotion for cohesive materials
- Elimination of bridging and manual hammering (“hammer rash”) for full product discharge.
New dust collection system transforms mixer feeding operation
The new process involves filling a mixer with premix from a bulk bag while adding minor ingredients from small bags through a common transfer system. The integrated dust collector, mounted on a mobile frame, places maintenance within easy reach, encouraging regular cleaning and ensuring consistently effective dust control.
The hopper vibrator eliminates bridging and prevents unsafe manual intervention, while the enclosed conveying technology ensures no residue remains in the line.
Elementa range with integrated dust collector exceeds performance expectations
The multinational food manufacturer exceeded performance expectations with their new mobile Elementa F4 conveying system. Operators reported simpler cleaning routines, safer working conditions, and consistent product quality through complete batch transfer.
The integrated dust collector’s placement on the mobile frame transformed maintenance accessibility compared to the previous remote system. Regular cleaning became practical and convenient. The hopper vibrator improved flow of cohesive materials, while the wet and dry cleaning capability supported hygienic operations and recipe changes.
The success of this integrated food conveying and dust collection system has positioned the facility to meet growing market demand while maintaining the safety standards and batch integrity their operations require.
Using Floveyor dust collection in your food processing operation
If you’d like more information about Floveyor’s dust collection capabilities, get in touch. We’re happy to discuss your requirements and can work with you to develop a safe, efficient powder handling system for your food processing operation.