Food producers face many issues: supplying food to new markets quickly and inexpensively, converting to more efficient packaging techniques, demonstrating to consumers that their products are superior to those of their competitors, and finding new ways to transform ordinary foods into value-added, or convenience products.

Whether handling raw materials, ingredients, or finished products, manufacturers frequently encounter basic flow problems such as arching (bridging) and ratholing, which can lead to process upsets, down time and requires operator intervention. Other less familiar flow problems can lead to product quality problems such as non-uniformity caused by segregation , and spoilage or powder caking (i.e., microbial growth) that may result from stagnant material in storage or surge vessels.

Other handling problems may include attrition (particle breakage) of candy pieces, pastas, or cereals, uneven coating of seasonings, and drink mix segregation. Whatever the problem may be, Jenike & Johanson can help by using one or more of our services listed below.

KEY ENGINEERING SERVICES

• Plant visit to evaluate flow and conveying problems
• Flow properties testing of food powders and ingredients
• Pneumatic conveying testing and system design
• Functional design of silos, hoppers, chutes and feeders
  • Ingredient, blend, and final product storage vessels
  • Packaging machine feed system design
  • Processing vessel design
  • Anti-segregation hopper systems
• Physical modeling of unique feed systems
• Structural engineering for silos and hoppers
• Detailed design engineering of equipment

If your plant is currently experiencing solids handling, segregation, or conveying difficulties or implementing a new production line, contact Jenike & Johanson to help you prevent and solve food handling problems.