PET Food Processing - September 2018 - 60

EQUIPMENT

"Processors stand to greatly reduce
the cost of ingredients when they can
switch from bags to bulk storage."
Jason Stricker, Shick Esteve
ing manager and sales assistant, APEC USA, Odessa,
Michigan. "It also helps with proper tracking and record-keeping, which are paramount in today's pet food
processing industry to keep up with FSMA regulations."

Beginning to automate

A barcoding system
on ingredients and
microbins helps
ensure accuracy
and traceability in
formulations.
Piotrowski Studios

When looking at automating ingredient handling systems, it's important that pet food processors know what
they need both from an equipment standpoint and a
supplier standpoint. According to Stank, processors
should look for equipment suppliers with pet food experience and those that can supply equipment to meet
Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) standards, as
well as being able to test the formulation on the equipment before commissioning.
To meet their increased demand, pet food manufacturers need to understand what kind of investment the
switch to automation requires and what the return will be.
"Having a good understanding of your material losses and
your manpower costs are usually the first step in determining payback on automation of ingredient deliveries,"
Cross says. "If you have high losses on expensive minor
ingredients week in and week out, that is a flag to investi-

PET FOOD PROCESSING | September 2018 | www.petfoodprocessing.net

gate automation to decrease scaling errors or spillage."
Stank emphasizes that pet food processors also need
to clarify whether they will be looking to retrofit existing
equipment or purchasing new.
It's also important for pet food processors to collaborate with suppliers to make sure all their needs are met.
Sometimes the sheer number of ingredients can require
a very large space in the facility, Stricker says. "The challenge is helping them design a system with a fairly compact footprint, incorporating all of the necessary barriers within the facility," he says, stressing that a combined
effort can help remedy this challenge.
Answering those questions and partnering with suppliers will help address some of the challenges that can
come with automation.

Understanding the process
A large part of successfully automating ingredient handling is understanding the specific ingredients being
handled. "Understanding the nature of each material and
how it will interact with the automation solution is key,"
Cross says. "For instance, some pet food ingredients can
be extremely abrasive. Others are quite sticky, and some
are hygroscopic." Ingredients' individual challenges and
needs will inform the equipment design and materials.
For dry ingredients, specifically, the variety of densities and textures can pose handling challenges. "These
dry solids come with a variety of challenges regarding
storage and dispensing such as packing, rat-holing,
bridging and flushing," Stank says. "Static electricity can
also cause certain solids to cling to the sides of the storage bins, disrupting flow."
On the liquids side, the suspended solids present in
fats, flavors and coatings can clog equipment and result
in inconsistent ingredient flow.
APEC's equipment is designed to ease the flow of both
dry and liquid ingredients. For dry ingredients, APEC uses
the angle of repose, smooth welds and surfaces as well as
agitation or vibration to assist the flow of these ingredients.
For liquid ingredients, spray nozzles used to apply them to
the dry solids can be a point of friction, Stank says.
"We have engineered our equipment to apply them
to dry solids without the use of spray nozzles, which are
prone to clogging," she says. "A series of spinning disks
atomizes the liquids into a fine mist, rendering spray
nozzles unnecessary."

http://www.petfoodprocessing.net

PET Food Processing - September 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of PET Food Processing - September 2018