When quality standards are your highest priority, it’s important to find vendors who support your way of working. If your business is animal nutrition, your bulk material handling equipment must meet the highest standards for food safety. That was the case for one of Floveyor’s agriculture customers who manufacture animal nutrition solutions for livestock, pets, and fish.
The Australian-based company produces pre-mix and feed ingredients, and exports rural commodities with a vision to improving animal nutrition solutions which enhance performance. The company was established in 1987, and their growth strategy has seen them form crucial partnerships and acquire another entity to expand their product offering.
New manufacturing facility drives need for powder handling upgrade
The company’s new consolidated state-of-the-art manufacturing facility contributed to a need for additional equipment. They required an upgrade to their existing Floveyor powder handling system used to feed raw material into the production process.
Highly cohesive animal nutrition minerals a tough ask for most conveying technologies
How do you convey raw materials for stock feed raw ingredients that are highly cohesive and difficult to convey? That’s the question our customer asked when looking for a conveying solution for their various raw materials – a mixture of animal nutrition minerals.
One particular raw ingredient was uncommonly challenging, regardless of the conveying technology used. The existing Floveyor F4, although more effective than other available technologies, required regular monitoring and cleaning to prevent internal build-up and blockages.
Larger machine size and new screw feeder resolve conveying challenges
Floveyor worked closely with another vendor, Metric Engineering, to determine how best to reduce the company’s monitoring efforts and deliver a system that would provide the best operational efficiency for the customer. After evaluating several options, Floveyor determined that upgrading to the Elementa F5 (5-inch) aero-mechanical conveying system with larger clearances would resolve the issue. This also allowed the existing F4 (4-inch) conveyor to be relocated and repurposed to another part of the plant.
The new conveying system comprises the following components:
- Elementa F5 range aero-mechanical conveyor (AMC) with FloDisc ® Technology provides better powder handling for cohesive materials with challenging flow characteristics.
- Aero-mechanical screw feeder F5 provides controlled and accurate feeding of additives into the production line.
- Small bag dump station enables quick and easy unloading of small bags while controlling dust and minimising spillage.
Smooth commissioning results in minimal disruption to operations
Metric Engineering and Floveyor’s project scope included assessment and planning, installation of the new system and repositioning of the existing Floveyor F4 system. Following installation, the new conveying system underwent rigorous testing to ensure ongoing performance and reliability.
The project went smoothly, causing minimal disruption to the customer’s operations. As with all Floveyor equipment deliveries, the customer benefits from Floveyor’s strong after sales support for spare parts and timely turnaround for technical and maintenance queries.
Multiple benefits from investing in upgraded conveying system
Since the installation of the new aero-mechanical conveying system at the end of 2023, the customer is already experiencing many benefits, including:
- Increased efficiency: Improved conveying capabilities and reduced downtime for maintenance
- Accurate additive integration: Precise introduction of animal nutrition minerals to the process with the addition of a small bag dump station and screw feeder
- Operational flexibility: The repurposed Floveyor F4 conveying system provided additional flexibility and increased production capacity
- Cost savings: Reduced downtime and operational costs due to enhanced efficiency and reliability.
For more information
If you need conveying machinery and bulk material handling equipment for your animal nutrition solutions operation, a Floveyor with FloDisc® Technology will optimise your powder handling. Contact us to learn more.
