Bigger Isn't Better When Choosing an Industrial Mixer, Look at Your Fill and Empty

Manufacturing principles are often built on the idea that bigger is better. But expanding the scale of production to yield more units at a lower cost is an outdated approach for organisations who want to provide a broad product range. An alternative to the traditional fixed industrial mixer is moveable Intermediate Bulk Containers. We explain how they provide a more flexible solution that increases productivity and boosts profit margins. Focus on True Economies of Scale In the past, when consumers were happy with less variety, manufacturers were able to make a single product in huge quantities. In these cases, large single-line production processes were a good option. But if your business’ product portfolio is expanding, moving to a batch process will pay dividends. That’s because there are a number of drawbacks to large fixed mixers. It’s obvious that the bigger your industrial mixer the longer it takes to fill and empty. In a continuous production line, where all your equipment is fixed, this creates a bottleneck that slows down other process steps. Which means lengthy idle times for equipment both up and downstream and reduced overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). Smaller Batches Mean More Flexibility By its nature, as materials are tipped in to a fixed mixer, the rest of the production process is halted. Mixing and packaging equipment sits idle as recipes are formulated; and as product is mixed, you cannot prepare the next recipe. Once blending is complete, the first two processing stages machinery is still out of action as the product is emptied and called off for packing. Except for the blending stage itself, none of these steps are quick. The time taken to fill a static mixer is high because it involves opening and discharging huge numbers of large bags to fill the blender sufficiently. And emptying is also a lengthy process involving significant product transfer heights which increase the risk of material desegregation and poor-quality product.

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