Buhler brings processing expertise to Australia
Australian feed mill with the aim of achieving higher capacity. The
challenge of the project was that the installation required
virtually no building modifications.
The manufacturer, CopRice, had reached the limits of its grinding capacity in the feed mill it built only six years ago. The company however did not want to convert its existing building, but still wanted to increase production capacity.
As a result, two Vertica hammer mills were installed to replace the single-motor horizontal hammer mill without taking up more space. An additional benefit is the fact that the new grinding system also generates less noise than the former hammer mill, even when all four motors of the two Verticas are running during grinding.
The CopRice mill in Cobden, near Melbourne, mainly grinds wheat, lupins, maize and barley. The raw materials are conveyed from the existing raw material bins to the two Verticas. Screw conveyors transfer the ground material to an existing chain conveyor, which moves it to the feeding units.
As the screw conveyor operates with a slight negative pressure, there is no need for any dust collection filters, fans, or exhaust system. This cuts installation costs and reduces the loss of moisture, which in turn translates into a higher product weight. This, claims Buhler, will enable CopRice to recoup its investment in its two universal Vertica hammer mills within a short space of time.
Over the past ten years, Australia's feed manufacturing industry hasundergone radical changes. Many large livestock breeders operate theirown feed mills, and the smaller operations have merged into large groups.
CopRice Feeds is therefore operating in a market dominated by large processing plants. In order to compete, the manufacturer must operate to maximum capacity. The replacement of the plant's old hammer mill for two new Buhler Vertica units was therefore seem as a decisive step for the feed mill in Cobden.
This is the latest feed plant alteration undertaken by Buhler. The company also recently converted a traditional relay-based control system in Austria to a state-of-the-art PLC (programmable logic controller) system - another example of how traceability within the supply chain is becoming increasingly automated.
The new process control system for Lugitch manages materials, bins, scales, recipes, and production jobs and also records statistics and logs production data. The PLC control system itself, which controls and monitors the process operations, registers production data, suppresses forbidden functions, and automatically executes control commands.
The control system allows all the raw materials and additives used to be reliably retraced, including vitamins and trace elements. To include an additive in a product formula, it must be read in by a barcode scanner, ensuring both high product safety and proper documentation.
This is an important consideration. Retailers are demanding greater traceability, and in 2005, processors will be required by EU law to maintain records of their supply chain. There is growing consensus in the food industry that automated systems provide the best means of ensuring compliance.
