Installation of Spiroflow’s Pneuvac process feeding equipment at Sandra Tea & Coffee has significantly cut both labour costs and downtime as well as improving production by reducing dust.

The company packages private label tea and coffee. “With the installation of the Pneuvac equipment, only one operator is needed to blend and maintain the feed for all tea machines,” says Bruce Smith, Engineering Manager for Sandra Tea and Coffee. “The benefits have been well and truly proven, with the equipment having now operated without problem for several years, running for two eight-hour shifts per day, 5 days a week.”

Customer requirements

The original process involved three staff who were employed to manually transfer tea from a blender into Tote bins. These Totes were then transferred to portable carts used to transfer them to the second floor of the factory. Once there they had to be positioned above the tea machines that were then gravity fed.

As well as the high labour cost there was also an issue with excessive dust escaping into the atmosphere causing sanitation problems and reducing yields.

Sandra Tea needed a system that could automate their process whilst reducing dust and improving the rate of production.

Spiroflow solutions

Three CHT-10 process feeders, three vacuum feed bins and two MF12 process feeders are used to convey tea to stainless steel hoppers above tea packaging machinery, with one vacuum pump programmed to feed three machines as required.

The system controls pick-up and delivery of tea from three pick-up points to three delivery points. This ensures that the machines never run out of tea, giving a 25% reduction in downtime. The vacuum pump draws the tea from the appropriate holding bin and delivers it to the corresponding receiver using a series of diverter valves, with the whole operation controlled by PLC.