Lean powder handling and processing means eliminating anything that does not create value for the end product.
Do you find that time is lost waiting for the mixer to fill? And then you're wasting time waiting for it to empty? What could you do with those wasted hours?
By using a container to collect the blend from the fixed mixer, you can free it up to go back into operation more quickly. Emptying into the Intermediate Bulk Container (IBC) takes a matter of minutes, rather than the hours that it can take for product to be pulled through to packing. Unloading times can be cut by 90% when implementing this relatively small change. What extra recipes could you run with this reduced turnaround time?
In addition, when using a Cone Valve IBC from Matcon you can rest assured that product will be protected against segregation on transfer. Product is discharged under mass-flow, which means that there is no opportunity for particles to roll and de-mix as can occur with discharging from fixed mixers. Because the product mix is preserved, you can be sure of ‘right first time’ manufacturing. Thereby eliminating any risk of batch scrappage or re-work.
By utilizing this break in the chain, you can achieve a 100% uplift on production throughput.
Learn more about our IBC powder handling systems and how they enable Lean manufacturing best practices.