SMC Corporation Australia and New Zealand recently partnered with Graintech, one of Australia’s leading manufacturers of food, feed and seed manufacturing equipment and turnkey production plants, as part of its latest baghouse project.
Graintech designs, manufactures and installs custom processing equipment to prominent brands around the globe, and offers a wide product range, which includes batch coaters, fluid bed dryers, mixers, conveying technology, and most recently, baghouses.
Over the past few years, Graintech have enjoyed considerable growth, something that managing director Nick Smith attributes to the company’s innovative offering.
“We are a true turnkey manufacturer, able to manage multiple projects with quick delivery and hands-on support. We also have a secure supply chain in place, and most of our manufacturing is done locally,” said Smith.
“We are a technology company. Our attitude is that we listen to customer needs and match our business to these requirements.”
According to Smith, dust collection and suppression via filtration systems is a key priority for Graintech’s customers.
“It was the only component that we didn’t have control over at that stage. In the past, we were reliant on other companies to supply filtration systems, which would often let us down in terms of quality and lead time,” explained Smith.
“Based on this, we decided to alter our solution to bring this in-house, where we had more control and could truly call ourselves turnkey solution providers.”
And so, the baghouse by Graintech was born.
When Graintech decided to bring its bag houses in-house, they looked to a trusted automation supplier that could support them with quality components.
“SMC had been supplying us through a distributor for quite some time, and we had already built strong relationships with the brand, and were aware of the quality of their products, dedicated support, and international footprint,” Smith said.
Ryan Worthington, area sales manager for SMC Victoria, explained that at the same time, SMC was running a sales drive on the new JSXFA series dust collector valves, and were in search of an application where it could be best applied.
“Graintech became a great partner for this project, and helped us to explore further technical capabilities and product testing on the range, in partnership with our international colleagues,” Worthington added.
Project challenges
With a lead time of just 12 weeks from start to finish, the project had the team collaborating and communicating constantly to ensure that everything ran smoothly.
“Our engineering department helped to develop the kits – three standard kits to choose from to suit the three baghouse products – set up for standard machines,” Worthington said.
“The kits replace the ordering of 20 single components, which meant that Graintech’s purchasing department only needed to process one part number per kit. It includes a control box with control cards stored inside, dust collection valves, and a pilot valve manifold to operate it.”
Smith added: “We have developed a unique flatpack that we sell as a kit, and there is also a mechano type kit that can be sent to site, costing less in freight, and ensuring quick delivery and installation. We offer the option for clients to set it up themselves, should they want to, or alternatively we are able to do it for them.”
Despite any potential delays due to Covid-19 restrictions, Smith said SMC handled its supply chain with ease and offered availability of products throughout the period.
“Customers love it. It has become a strong seller and could go beyond our own projects into a completely new dust suppression line. There are so many opportunities to explore here,” said Smith.
“We are very proud to collaborate with SMC – they are a key supplier to us, and we are excited for what’s to come.
“Our relationship is people focused and our company’s values closely align. We share the view that people buy from people.”
