Keeping up with the demands of today's markets requires that processing systems be efficient and flexible. Most of the current systems are neither.
More Products...Less Time...Reduce Costs...Improve Efficiency (Does this look like your To Do list?)
Many companies are being asked not only to deliver a wider variety of products, but more of them and in a shorter time. They are being asked to improve labor costs and utilization. They are also being asked to improve efficiency and reduce overall operating costs.
While this may seem like a large undertaking at first glance, it doesn't have to be.
How can all these tasks be accomplished? Our customers ask us this very same question every day. Our answer is Continuous Blending.
This may be an old term to some people but for many it is very a new and sometimes confusing term. The goal of this article is to shed some light on exactly what continuous blending is - and is not.
Batching
The traditional means of processing required a large batch tank where each ingredient, whether it be liquid or dry, is added to the tank, agitated, tested, corrected, tested again, and then transferred to filling equipment for final packaging. This is batching. The biggest improvement implemented over the years is the use of meters to add precise amounts of each ingredient to the tank. Although this has simplified the process to a degree, it is still batching, not continuous blending. The constraints of a batching system are still there.
Definition
The term continuous blending as it applies in a process application is described below.
The blending portion involves taking individual raw materials or ingredients from bulk supplies and blending them together in a pipeline manifold to create finished product in one step.
The continuous portion involves blending or producing only what is needed for the production run. It also involves "just in time" processing or blending at same rate as the downstream process requires.
Combining these two concepts, along with several others which will be described later, delivers a system which can really pack a punch - DSI Continuous Blend System.
Application Guide: Goals
Lets start with the goals that companies must focus on to profit in today's market and how they affect a process.
1. Increase Capacity
Increasing capacity with a batching system creates problems with plant floor space - there isn't any left. Many plants were not designed with today's production volumes in mind. Expensive building modifications and expansions are inevitable. A continuous blending system however, requires less floor space, possibly eliminating building modifications or expansions.
The cost of a continuous blending system is less expensive than a batch system in both equipment and installation costs.
2. Increase Product Variety
Increasing product variety is a complicated problem. Additional batching capabilities will not necessarily solve the problem. Increasing product varieties usually translates into smaller production volumes. The large batch tanks that were full years ago are now only making 1/3 of their capacity. Batching times, tank cleaning, changeover time, production volume and scheduling are also affected. The usual result is a batch tank tied up with finished product waiting to be sent to the filler. A continuous blending system solves these problems by its inherent flexibility. The continuous system doesn't require batching time. There are no large tanks to clean resulting in quicker changeovers. Plus, specific production volumes can be targeted. All of these factors result in less time focused on scheduling and more time producing product.
3. Decrease Sales to Delivery Time
Decreasing the time it takes from product sales to product delivery is hindered in a batching system for the reasons described in the previous paragraph. Decreasing this time allows companies to meet the ever-increasing demand to deliver their products-fast. A continuous blending system provides a "flexible manufacturing system" or "just in time" delivery system. With a continuous system orders can be taken, produced and shipped within days. This reduces the burden on warehouse workload, inventory and/or rental fees. One area often overlooked is in-process inventory. This is finished product that has not been filled or packaged that is tied up in a batching tank. This in-process inventory can also be a substantial amount of product that is not generating profits.
4. Increase Efficiency
Increasing efficiency with a batching system is difficult, if not impossible. Batching systems involve wasted time due to long agitation times, long ingredient fill times, long cleaning times and batch corrections. Batching also creates raw material and product losses due to clinging product on tank sidewalls and spillage of expensive liquid concentrates or dry ingredients. A continuous system avoids all of these issues. Long agitation and ingredient fill times are eliminated. Batch errors are eliminated by a sophisticated PLC control program. Ingredient losses and spillage are virtually nothing. Since there are no large tanks to clean, changeover time can be as little as 2-15 minutes depending on the nature of the product.
5. Reduce Operating Costs
Reducing the operating costs of a processing system primarily depend upon reducing electrical operating costs, labor costs and time saving costs. This can be an area with unclear guidelines. The operating costs of a batching system are very high. Batch tank agitators require large horsepower motors which are very inefficient. Labor costs are high due to the number of operators required to operate and maintain the system.
Time usage is grossly inefficient as detailed in the previous paragraph. A continuous blending system offers considerable cost savings in these areas. A continuous process system does not require tank agitators. Pump motor horsepowers are considerably less. A labor cost savings comes in the form of improved labor utilization. Since the system is fully PLC controlled, there is much less operator involvement. The operator is free to perform other tasks. The annual cost savings from better use of time and equipment during processing results in more products being made and sold.
This is the first topic in a series of articles on Continuous Blending. Next up, "Sustainability, CIP and Continuous Blending."