From Ground to 20 Meters up: Piab’s Automated System Conveys Corn Seed Coating Powder up to Fourth Floor

Bayer Hungaria Kft. enjoys the benefits of Piab’s automated solution for their corn seed coating powder transportation. The implementation of Piab's piFLOW®f conveyors completely reduced the need for manual handling.  

Nagyigmánd, Hungary  

Bayer Hungaria Kft. is a global enterprise that specializes in healthcare and nutrition. Their corn seed coating powder production needs to be efficient and easily manageable to fulfil its purpose of contributing to a sustainable future.

Before using Piab’s solutions, Bayer Hungaria Kft. used an old mechanical elevator to move 25 (kg) powder bags to a coating machine 20 meters above ground in its Nagyigmánd plant. Using the old mechanical elevator was time-consuming and caused product losses and ergonomic issues that negatively impacted the costs.  

Therefore, Bayer sought an automated alternative to their current manual material handling process. Their objective was to improve the efficiency of the transport process while also curbing expenses.  

Tech Con Hungaria, an authorized Piab distributor, found the optimal solution for this purpose: piFLOW®f conveyors. PiFLOW®f was chosen for its small footprint and closed design that allows spillage-free material handling as well as minimal costs and maintenance.  

Bayer Hungaria Kft. purchased two piFLOW®f conveyors: one with a horizontal pipe length of 17 meters and a vertical pipe length of 20 meters. The other with a horizontal pipe length of 20 metres and a vertical pipe length of 20 meters. The powder being conveyed is of a fine consistency and has a bulk density of 0.54 (kg/l). 

Originally, Bayer had requested a transport capacity of 350 (kg/h). However, with Piab’s optimal settings, the system is instead able to achieve a maximum capacity of 440 (kg/h), saving significant time in the production process. The installation of the Piab conveyors was carried out by Tech-Con Hungaria, which also integrated a rotary dosing system, a big-bag frame with a crane and a pipeline with an emptying unit. 

Together with the piFLOW® conveyors, Tech-Con Hungaria's system integrator installed a rotary dosing system, a big-bag frame with a crane, and the pipeline with an emptying unit.  Bayer's PLC manages the conveyor control unit.  

Piab’s piFLOW®f conveyors proved to be an excellent implementation for Bayer Hungaria Kft’s corn seed coating powder transportation needs. With the successful installation of Piab’s automated solution, Bayer Hungaria Kft. can continue their production of nutrition in a more efficient way. 

One of two piFLOW®f conveors  installed on the 4th floor at Bayer Hungaria Kft. 

Second piFLOW®f conveyor  installed on the 4th floor at Bayer Hungaria Kft.  

Feeding point with the big bag stand   and the rotary feeder.  

 

Background

piFLOW®f is a conveyor widely used in the food industry. It has a stainless-steel body (ASTM 304) and seals, in direct contact with the product to be conveyed, that meet both FDA regulations and EU European guidelines. piFLOW®f is also ATEX certified for dust and gas. The conveyor can be integrated into an existing system or can be designed for a completely new line. For greater flexibility within the plant, piFLOW®f can be placed on a mobile frame to be used at different stations of the production line. Typical applications where it is used are powder and granule conveying, feeding mills, vibrating screens, mixers, and loading and unloading big bags. All piFLOW®f conveyors are available with an air pump, based on Piab's COAX® technology, the most energy-efficient way to create vacuum, or with an electromechanical pump.  

 

Bayer Hungaria Kft.  

Bayer Hungaria Kft. is part of the Bayer Group, which has over 150 years of history in the Life Science sector with core competencies in health care and agriculture.    

With the world's population growing and life expectancy continuing to rise, the Bayer Group is helping to find solutions to some of the major challenges of our time with a broad portfolio of innovative products that ensure an adequate supply of food, feed and raw materials and the best medical care.  

The Bayer Group includes three divisions - Pharmaceuticals, Consumer Health and Crop Science. In 2021, the group comprised 374 companies in 83 countries.  

The Crop Science Division is world leader in seed production, crop protection and pest control.  

About Piab  

At Piab we evolve automation, creating sustainable solutions for a safer and more efficient workplace in an automated world. We provide gripping skills to robots, intelligent flow to materials, and lifting power to humans. We want to improve today’s world for the better. This ambition is embedded into everything we do. It is in every idea, every interaction, every product, and solution we provide. Our customers are in just every sector, including the food & beverage, automotive, packaging, logistics & warehousing, e-commerce, electronics, chemicals, and pharmaceutical industries, and general manufacturing.  

Piab´s vision is an automated world where no resources are wasted, and no humans are injured.  

With annual sales of ~2 billion SEK and 1000 employees, Piab is a global organization, serving customers in more than 100 countries from a network of subsidiaries and distributors.  

Evolving ourselves. Evolving you. Evolving automation.  

For more information:  

Paolo Santi, Senior Marketing Specialist 
+39 011 2263666  
Piab Italia, Via Cuniberti 58, Turin, Italy
www.piab.com