Whether it’s a wide range of equipment offered by renowned tech producers in Europe or the signing of new partnerships and lucrative business transactions, the market is brimming with services and solutions meant to help companies and make their operations more efficient.
Ashworth Bros., Inc. is the only conveyor belt company that manufactures and services both metal and plastic belting for straight running, turn-curve, lo-tension and stacker spirals – offering customers the best solution for their specific requirements. With over 60 years of innovating the future of conveyor belts, Ashworth continues to lead the market with the most conveyor belt patents in the food processing, can making, and material handling industries. Companies around the world depend on Ashworth’s quality products, reliable customer service, and innovative solutions to maximize throughput and minimize lifecycle costs.
Self-Stacking Drop-in Replacement Belt
Ashworth’s ExactaStack™ is available in ALL widths, tier heights, and mesh configurations including the patented Advantage overlay for both spliced-in sections and complete self-stacking belt replacements. ExactaStack is available in all widths, tier heights, and mesh configurations for both spliced-in sections and complete belt replacements. As a drop-in replacement, no system drive modifications are required.
ExactaStack™ is also available with Ashworth’s patented Advantage plastic overlay. Because Advantage is easy to clean, it is the market’s only plastic spiral belt that is USDA Accepted for meat and poultry. The combination of ExactaStack™ and Advantage makes it the market’s first and only self-stacking spiral belt with a plastic overlay providing a perfect solution for existing sticky product applications. Advantage has also been proven by ETL Laboratories to have the greatest open area of all plastic spiral modular belting making it a perfect solution for vertical air-flow patterns in self-stacking spirals.ExactaStack is manufactured by the experts who invented spirals, ensuring quality craftsmanship, quick deliveries and cost savings. With every option available, including the Advantage overlay, Ashworth can provide the right belt for many specific production needs to increase capacity and minimize product damage. For more information, please visit www.ashworth.com
New CD range from GEA
GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft, one of the largest suppliers of process technology and components for the food and energy industries, introduced the new air-cooled chillers in the GEA GLAC-CD range, which are replacing the GLAC 0152-1204-BD models. The range of model sizes makes these chillers effective for small- and medium-sized HVAC systems, and for facilities with small water-system contents and refrigeration ratings between 40 and 350 kW. These chillers are available over the entire output spectrum in three models with various performance features: a standard version, an SL version with sound insulation down to 11 dB(A), and the HE high-efficiency model in Eurovent Class A. The standard models in the GLAC-CD range operate with air-intake temperatures up to 46 °C and can reduce the temperature of the cooling medium to -10 °C. The GLAC-CD chillers operate in one or two refrigerant cycles with the refrigerant R 410A and with economical scroll compressors in a tandem configuration. The micro-channel heat exchangers (MCHX) from the GLAC 4131-8321CD2 range – already proven effective in the higher output class – are used as condensers.
Performance driven equipment
The performance of these micro-channel heat exchangers is superior to that of classical Cu-Al heat exchangers owing to their enhanced heat transfer and their larger heat-exchange surfaces, and to their refrigerant filling volume, which has been reduced by 40 %. These new heat exchangers are also substantially lighter: the heat transfer capacity of a 30-kg MCHX heat exchanger is equivalent to that of a Cu-Al exchanger that weighs from 105 to 120 kg. The MCHX models, in addition, offer greater resistance to galvanic corrosion, and the pressure drop for the air flow is less than for Cu-Al heat exchangers.
In comparison to predecessor models, GEA has increased the output as well as the energy efficiency of the standard and the sound-insulated models – and these parameters are now equal for these two versions. As a result of various extras, it is possible to match these units to individual customer requirements. This also includes equipping the systems with inverter-controlled fans. Two new model sizes in the 2-scroll line (with one refrigerant cycle) now enable an overlap in cooling duty with the 4-scroll line (with two refrigerant cycles), which offers benefits in investment costs. In the 4-scroll line, the customer has a choice of a plate heat exchanger or a shell-and-tube heat exchanger.
Supplier of the year
For years, the engineering company, GEA Process Engineering Spain, has been a global supplier of high-tech innovative solutions for the largest yogurt maker in the world, Danone, and its American affiliate, Dannon. Collaboration between the two companies has been excellent, and this year GEA Process Engineering Spain was rewarded with the ’Supplier of the year 2011’ award by Dannon. “Since 1992 we have been working very closely with both Danone, and the American subsidiary, Dannon. We are naturally very proud and thrilled, that Dannon has decided to honour us with this award, and see it as recognition of the great partnership between our two companies,” said Alvaro Martínez, Managing Director of GEA Process Engineering Spain.
The award was given by Dannon after having evaluated all suppliers to the company in 2011. One of the parameters that Dannon highlights in the collaboration with GEA Process Engineering Spain is the ability to deliver state-of-the-art solutions, listening to the customer – as well as being on time and budget. These features are of immense importance to Dannon. “It is the philosophy of Danone and Dannon that we have close relationships with our business partners. We know that innovative solutions will come not only from within Dannon or Danone but also externally via our suppliers. We have tremendous respect for our business partners and are grateful for the contributions they make to our success,” explained Michael Neuwirth, Senior Director of Public Relations, The Dannon Company. n