Written By: Bjarne Buchert, General Manager, Admix Europe
Many food & beverage processors turn to Admix seeking a mixer that is better at handling hard-to-disperse powders. While this is an important goal that Admix equipment is superior at accomplishing, SPEED is also of prime importance to nearly every processor we talk to. Batching teams are ultra-focused on making quality product as fast as possible for hand-off to downstream processes.
A Case Example of a Customer’s Dilemma:
A beverage manufacturer wanted to improve their emulsion concentrate batching process. They needed to make batches faster, easier and with less dust. It was taking 14-18 hours to make 5,000 gallons (18,900 liters) of beverage concentrate emulsion. A typical batch contained roughly 1,700 lbs (770 kg) of standard powders and 3,000 lbs (1,360 kg) of corn starch. The plant had neither a safe nor effective way to mix ingredients. The “easy” powders (aqueous phase) were added at the top of the tank and conventionally mixed, then a gum/oil slurry was added, and contents were recirculated for hours through an inefficient inline mixer.
The Admix Fastfeed Solution: We installed a Fastfeed 575 powder induction system, resulting in cutting batch times from 14-18 hours to JUST TWO HOURS, an astounding efficiency improvement! How was it done? The aqueous phase was made first with the Fastfeed on a recirculation loop, then via a “T” the gum/oil slurry was also inducted. The Fastfeed’s continuous mixer (the DynaShear) emulsified the slurry on a single pass. Powders were added to the hopper through suspended bulk bags for even greater time savings, but the Fastfeed has an ergonomic table for safely adding powder at waist height if that is sufficient.
Whether you have a challenging ingredient or efficiency problem, Admix has the applications experience and technology to help you do things Better, Cheaper, Faster, and Safer. Ask us how we can do this for you – contact us today!