F CASE STUDY

CASE STUDY

20% increase in
production capacity
Joordens Zaden increases production
capacity by 20 percent thanks to investment
in new, fast and 100% cleanable Z-Conveyor
by Poeth

oordens Zaden in Kessel, The Netherlands is an

international specialist in the development and
production of seed for green manure crops, forage
crops and forage grasses. The seeds comply with
the high quality requirements of ISTA and are
strictly checked every week by external quality
controllers from the Dutch General Inspection
Service (NAK).
Each step in the seed production and packaging
process must be 100 percent hygienic. With the purchase of
its new fast cleanable Z-Conveyor by Poeth Solids Processing
based in Tegelen, Joordens has increased the capacity of their
production process by more than 20 percent. In addition, with the
new Z-Conveyor Joordens has reduced its cost price and increased
flexibility on peak days.

Transporting minimum 75 m3 fragile seed to eight metre

height

Joordens Zaden, its customers and quality controllers set high

requirements with regard to the quality and undesirable mixing of
seed. Many seeds can barely be distinguished from one another
visually. But as a crop on the land, the contamination is quickly
obvious to the customer. Therefore Joordens Zaden gives high
contamination guarantees for all its products, sometimes even of 0
percent. To comply with the high quality requirements, Joordens
cleans all components within the production process thoroughly after
each product change.
The forty-year old screw conveyor that transports the seeds into
the mixer was always difficult to clean and took one and a half hours
to clean each time. As product changes are made at least once to
sometimes three or four times each day, the screw conveyor was the
limiting factor in the production process. To increase the capacity of
its production process, Joordens looked for a new transport system
that would enable it to increase the capacity of its production process
and reduce cleaning costs.
The new transport system had to be fast and easy to clean and have
70 | October 2016 - Milling and Grain

a minimum capacity of 75 m3 per hour. Extremely gentle transport,

without the slightest chance of damage, was a requirement. The
system also had to be suitable for a minimum height of eight metres.

Poeths Z-Conveyor: careful, high capacity transport

The list of suitable high-capacity transport systems that fulfil

Joordens Zadens wishes and requirements is small. Pneumatic
transport systems do not achieve the required 75 m3 per hour.
Traditional chain conveyors cannot deal with heights of eight metres
and screw conveyor transport systems are difficult to clean and
damage the product. The Z-Conveyor by Poeth Solids Processing in
Tegelen has, however, been specially developed for the transport of
dry powders, grains and granular materials.
The conveyor transports materials horizontally, vertically or a
combination of the two. The system consists of a steel structure and
HDPE flights that can be cleaned quickly. The flights are carried
by a chain, all contained in an enclosed trough in a gentle, flowing
movement. This means that Poeths Z-Conveyor can transport

The forty-year old screw

conveyor that transports
the seeds into the mixer was
always difficult to clean and
took one and a half hours
to clean each time. As
product changes are made
at least once to sometimes
three or four times each
day, the screw conveyor
was the limiting factor in
the production process.
To increase the capacity
of its production process,
Joordens looked for a new
transport system that would
enable it to increase the
capacity of its production
process and reduce
cleaning costs.

CASE STUDY F
materials gently and without any damage.
With its clever design Poeths Z-Conveyor
has a high capacity of 45 m to 220 m per
hour.

Fast cleaning reduces downtime by

one to four hours per day

Poeth custom-built the Z-Conveyor for

Joordens. Joordens cleans the Z-Conveyor
with dry compressed air, which reduces
cleaning time to less than half an hour.
Joordens Zaden therefore saves one to four
hours every day. As the production process
does not have to stop, production capacity
has risen by more than 20 percent.
The investment is particularly beneficial
during the peak season. With the increased
capacity seeds can now be transported to
the mixing process just-in-time and are packaged there immediately
according to customer requirement - without intermediate storage.
This is particularly advantageous for the company during the peak
season as seed supply and customer orders are often unpredictable.
In commercial terms Joordens is now more flexible and can
process more seeds in less time. Poeths Z-Conveyor is also easy to
maintain and energy efficient, which contributes to a reduction in
cost price.

Energy-efficient and explosion-safe transport without

basement and roof structure

Since the Z-Conveyer has excellent performance characteristics at

speeds well below 1 m/s, there is no risk of explosion. This eliminates

the need to make high investments in order to ensure compliance with
the increasingly strict ATEX safety standards. For this reason Poeths
Z-Conveyor is popular for use with explosion-prone materials. In
contrast to traditional bucket elevators, the new Z-Conveyor can be
installed without a roof structure, basement or building pit.
This cost saving also means that the Z-Conveyor is a very
attractive alternative to bucket transport. The Z-Conveyor can be
used for processing bulk solids in a wide range of sectors including
the feed, food, chemicals, pet food, plastics, recycling and brewing
industries.
www.poeth.nl.

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