Increased productivity for Red Mill Snack Foods

A recent delivery of four Guttridge Bulkflo hoppers to the Wednesbury plant of Red Mill Snack Foods means some problems solved in a novel way for the crisp and corn snack manufacturer. The order for Guttridge Services Ltd of Spalding is typical of the many food industry orders that the company secures in this important marketplace.

Redmill faced the problem of needing to move product mixes from four mixers to a range of different extruders, but at the same time ensuring full compliance with the latest Health & Safety legislation. This meant that many of the old practices of manually handling materials had to change and a new process method would have to be found.

Solution

The solution lay in a rail and track system linking each mixer with  up to four alternative extruders, at the same time providing intermediate storage sufficient to hold the mixer contents and an integral elevator to feed the extruders.

The advantages of the changeover are numerous. "Before installation of the Bulkflo hoppers," said Colin Pope, Red Mill's Operations Director, "our operatives had to literally carry the mixes around on their shoulders, delivering them to wherever they were needed. Now we have a machine on rails which is filled from the mixer, then rolled into place beside an extruder and elevates the maize and potato powder, discharging directly into the extruder hoppers."

The Guttridge Bulkflo is a large capacity mobile loading hopper with integral screw elevator. It is ideal for handling pellets, flakes, powders, granules and any other free flowing materials.  An immensely useful machine, all its contact parts are stainless and it is designed with ease of cleaning and maintenance in mind. A single Allen key is the only tool needed for a typical clean-down between batches.