- PMMI Index Sees Turnaround in
Manufacturing Economy
- A World First for Pasta Producers
- Top Picks at Amazon.com
- Ask Joe Column!
- Kice Industries and G.B.S. Group
Announce Agreement
- Powder and Bulk Dot Com had over 28,000+ visitors in March!
- Posimetric Feeder Replacing Gate Valve/Feeders in Cement
- Hot Messages from the Help Forum
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- From the Job Fair
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From
the Editor
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PMMI Index Sees Turnaround in
Manufacturing Economy
ARLINGTON, Va., April 15 /PRNewswire/
-- Packaging machinery manufacturers are optimistic about a North
American economic turnaround. According to the monthly Business
Conditions Index (BCI) of the Packaging Machinery Manufacturers
Institute, shipments jumped 8.2 points to an index of 60.7;
quotations measured up 6.6 points to an index of 67.4; general
business conditions jumped 5.7 points to an index of 61.9, and new
orders were up 1.6 points to an index of 60.7.
An
index of 50 represents the mid-point, where the number of
respondents who report an increase in activity is the same as those
who report a decrease in activity. An index of more than 50
indicates an expansion and below 50 indicates contraction.
The March BCI tabulates the input of
approximately 100 of PMMI's 502 PMMI member companies. The BCI is
based on PMMI's "How's Business" survey, a weekly poll of
member companies. PMMI's Business Conditions Index (BCI) collects
data on four business indicators: general business conditions, new
orders, shipments and quotations/proposal activity on a weekly
basis.
"Packaging machinery
manufacturers' orders and shipments are important barometers of the
manufacturing economy's future health," comments Charles D.
Yuska, president of PMMI. "Every consumer and industrial goods
manufacturer utilizes packaging machinery to protect, identify and
market its products. Because packaging machinery order and shipment
trends are indicators of future activity along the supply chain, BCI
can be read as an early indicator of business activity along the
pipeline."
Packaging machinery sales, quotation
activity, new orders as well as general business conditions, are a
leading indicator for consumer goods companies' consumer confidence.
If consumer products companies believe that demand will weaken, they
tend to not invest in new capital equipment. If, however, they feel
demand will pick up, they tend to invest in machinery that will
bring their products to market quickly and efficiently.
"Based on what PMMI members are
reporting, the manufacturing sector is clearly rebounding and
beginning to order and source new pieces of packaging
machinery," adds Yuska.
The Packaging Machinery Manufacturers
Institute (PMMI) is a trade association whose 502 members
manufacture packaging and packaging-related converting machinery in
the United States and Canada. For more information on PMMI, visit http://www.pmmi.org/.
Optimizes
on a Continuous Basis
A World First for Pasta Producers
Uzwil, Switzerland - Buhler has
developed a system for returning moist trimmings at a controlled
rate to the dough mixer. This places high demands on the process
control system because the mixing proportions of semolina and water
must remain constant.
In
the production of cut-out pasta shapes such as farfalle and
orecchiette, wet rework (dough strip trimmings after cutting-out) is
obtained which may amount to as much as 50 percent of the extruded
dough strip. For economic reasons, these moist trimmings are
returned to the dough mixer and included in the dough mass.
The rework quantity obtained varies
widely, for example during starting and stopping of the extrusion
press. But since both the press throughput capacity and the dough
quality must remain constant at the specified target value, high
demands are placed on the process control system. In particular, the
semolina and water feed rates must respond very quickly to the
instantaneous amount of rework that is present.
Continuous optimization
This is where the patented Polymatik
process technology offers crucial advantages. Unlike conventional
dough mixers processing several hundred kilograms of dough mass at a
time, the Polymatik twin-shaft mixer contains only small amounts of
dough at any given time.
The control system optimizes the feed
rate on a continuous basis so that the dough quality remains
absolutely constant even if the rework feed rate varies. This means
that at a constant capacity, cut-out goods of maximum quality will
be produced. This was a decisive condition for the Pastificio F.lli
Cellino company to successfully enter the regional Sardinian market
with its “Pasta Bologna”.
Gaining regional market share
At its new pasta factory in Santa
Giusta, Pastificio F.lli Cellino produces – in addition to cut-out
goods – a wide range of short and long goods, which are specially
tailored to Sardinian cuisine. Here, too, the benefits of Polymatik
technology are evident:
Production changes require minimum
time, and the recipes of the broad product range can be readily and
reliably retrieved by the control system. On the basis of extensive
tests, the color, texture and cooking characteristics of the entire
range were tailored to the tastes of the regional Sardinian market.
This has helped Pastificio F.lli
Cellino to gain appreciable market share in a very efficient manner.
Both production lines are equipped with Polymatik extrusion presses
and Turbothermatik dryers. The long-goods line has been designed for
a throughput capacity of 1250 kilograms per hour, the short-goods
line for 1500 kilograms.
The operators of the plant were
trained on site by Buhler specialists in the technologies involved.
This helped minimize the time required for start-up and
commissioning of the facility. Pastificio F.lli Cellino is now a
successful market player.
"...explores the relevant
physics of the powder systems including characterization
procedures and rheology, and contains an extensive review of
different methods that have been employed to study the
structure of mixtures."
Powder
Mixing
by Brian H. Kaye
Hardcover, October 1997
We Need Your Guest Articles!
Do you have an area of expertise in bulk materials, have you solved a difficult materials problem? Share your knowledge with others and promote yourself
by contributing an article to the Ask Joe! Column. For more information, please contact Joe Marinelli
at: Joe@SolidsHandlingTech.com
Milling
Equipment
Kice Industries and G.B.S. Group
Announce Agreement
G.B.S. Group S.p.A (GBS). and Kice
Industries, Inc. announced an agreement under which Kice will
market, support and service GBS equipment in the U.S. and Canada.
Kice, in addition to being the exclusive agent for the GBS in North
America, will partner with GBS in the manufacture and service of key
milling equipment and plant systems in the United States. Kice
Industries will provide after-sales service, spare parts and
components for both existing and future GBS equipment.
Mr. Robert Bonanni has been hired by
Kice Industries to develop the GBS marketing effort in North
America. Additional Kice Technical Sales personnel will be factory
trained and Kice QuikShip will be involved with the spare parts and
components of the GBS equipment.
Tom Kice, President of Kice
Industries, said a particular attraction of the agreement with GBS
is that both companies will continue as family-owned, independent
businesses. "There is no change in ownerships, but both
companies will combine their comparative advantages to enhance the
value offered to the milling industry in the United States and
Canada," Mr. Kice said. "This relationship allows Kice and
GBS to offer the most complete line of milling systems/diagrams,
from the K.S.U. short-flow mill to the most complex conventional
programs."
Powder and Bulk Dot Com
had lots of visitors in March
A
record-breaking, 28,000+ professionals visited
our web site last month!
That's over 1,300+ people per business
day! They are looking for equipment and services
you offer! Banner advertising is a great way
to make your company stand out and reach these savvy material handling pro's.
Want a Rate Card? It's Easy! Click here to visit our Banner
Ad Rate information page.
150
Installed
Posimetric Feeder Replacing Gate
Valve/Feeders in Cement
The Posimetric Feeder, a breakthrough
in feeder reliability and accuracy, will be on display at the IEEE
IAS/PCA Industry Conference, Jacksonville, FL, Booth 4, May 5-7,
2002.
Unique
operating principles set the Posimetric Feeder apart from other
feeder technologies and provide it with far more uniform and
reliable feed rates, at higher accuracies. It operates for years
with only nominal wear, is dust-free, and is not subject to jams.
With about 150 units installed in
various industries so far in the U.S., this model is rapidly gaining
favor with cement plant operators because it totally eliminates the
problems endemic to triple gate valve and other feeder types.
Rotation speed is surprisingly slow -
only _ to 5 rpm - and the drive motor surprisingly small - usually
less than 10 hp - yet this feeder can handle from 5 tons to 900 tons
per hour, whether handling wet, dry, or sticky material, and without
missing a beat.
For more information contact:
Mr. Lee Doyer Pennsylvania Crusher Corporation
600 Abbott Drive
Broomall, PA 19008
Telephone: 610-544-7200
Fax: 610-543-0190
E-mail: buster@penncrusher.com Web site: www.penncrusher.com
Help
Forum
Hot Messages from the Help
Forum
People post their requests for help and offer their
suggestions to others in our open forum.
Tima needs help with dense
phase conveying:
We are using a dense phase conveying
system for movement of fine powders. There was no problem faced
while using this system. Lately we have changed the powder with some
new powder mixture which has some small pellet like material. Since
then this dense phase system cannot be used at all as the conveying
line is getting clogged very frequently.
Is there any theoretical calculation
method to find out new operating conditions like adjustment of
" Solid to Air ratio" or Ratio of Primary to Secondary
air, Change the Blow Tank Pressure etc.
We are in need of filling equipment.
Must express very viscous, non-flowable, thixotropic composite
material. Material must be pushed through a 17mm or less
diameter orifice in order to fill cartridges.
High heating material is not an
option. Material can be mixed before filling operation for
better flowability.
(Click
here to post a reply)
Share your expertise with others in the Help
Forum.
Photos
Wanted
Call For Photographs!
This
week's homepage photo is a Canadian concrete batch plant build by
Sandwell Engineering. This new plant is capable of producing up to
180 m3/h. The plant consists of four underground aggregate hoppers,
a heater building, reclaim tunnel and conveyor, aboveground
specialty hopper and batching plant.
Photo courtesy of Mr.
Alan Pyatt of Sandwell Engineering
We would love to have your photo of a bulk materials
process, packaging, conveying or handling "action shot" for our home
page. Send your photograph and description to: news@powderandbulk.com
Jobs
From the Job Fair
Manufacturers Rep's Wanted
BayShore Steel, Inc. is a
manufacturer of Bulk Material Handling Equipment is looking for
Experienced Sales Rep's or Rep Agency to market our product on
commission basis. Our commitment, support, and quality of
product makes this an outstanding opportunity for anyone involved
with Bulk Material Handling Equipment.
BayShore Steel, Inc. manufactures
"Dust Free" retractable bulk loading spouts, dust
collectors, material handling gates, valves, air-slides and bulk bag
filling stations.
Please contact:
Steve Kraemer BayShore Steel, Inc.
Ph: (231) 347-1160
Fax: (231) 347-1210
e-mail: skraemer@bayshoresteel.com
The Job Fair is a free service of Powder and Bulk Dot
Com. You can post job opening for managers, engineers, sales,
reps or other talented people you need. ...Or one can post their resume for companies who are looking to add talented
people to their staff.
Do you have a position you need to
fill?? visit the
Job
Fair.
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"Frequently
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