Kraft Jacobs Suchard Limited

The sheer volume and density of coffee dust created was an operational nightmare.

Another example was the application we produced for Steve Yates of Kraft Jacob Suchard Limited.

Improving his team’s handling of re-work coffee had been his objective for some time.

But Steve knew it couldn’t be achieved without overcoming some great difficulties.

In order to re-process the coffee, it was transported using a specially designed wheelbarrow. Then it was tipped by hand.

The coffee that needed re-processing was in granular form. The problem with this was the sheer volume and density of coffee dust created, which descended slowly and purposefully, like a thick blanket, on all in sight. Then there was the access.

It was very awkward to wheel the product up the loading ramp. Not only that, but once there it was extremely difficult to physically tip in excess of fifty kilos into the hopper – even tougher to do so without spillage.

Our remit was to improve all aspects of this task and minimise manual handling.

Having invested a considerable amount of time and resource into the project, at no cost and without obligation, to Krafts Jacobs Suchard Limited, the solution we proposed was a modified hoisting and tipping machine. A sheet metal enclosure was designed to completely surround their machine. This enclosure incorporated a highly sensitive dust extraction system.

The tipped product was fed directly into a tipping chute, this in turn fed into a grinder where the blocks of coffee were ground.

The tipper, extraction unit and grinder were all electrically interlocked. This meant the extraction unit and grinder could function automatically when the tipper was running. The system was also designed so that the dust extractor continued to operate while the grinder was in operation.

Now, over twelve months later, here’s what Steve Yates has to say.

“Base Handling provided us with a very good design solution. Practical and innovative, it was just what we needed. As a company they were easy to work with; respecting time-scales and priorities. I will absolutely always call on them for our hoisting and tipping needs”.

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