CANADIAN ACQUISITION STRENGTHENS SPIROFLOW’S GLOBAL POSITION

Spiroflow Ltd, world-leading manufacturer of conveying and weighing systems, has strengthened its global offering with the acquisition of Canadian bulk materials handling specialist Control & Metering, based in Mississauga, Ontario.
The assets of Control & Metering were acquired through Spiroflow Systems, Inc, a wholly owned subsidiary of UK-based Spiroflow Ltd. The deal has not only facilitated the retention of many highly-experienced personnel, but has also enhanced Spiroflow’s global position through ownership of Control & Metering’s patented Bulk Bag Filling and Discharging technology.
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Control & Metering was established in 1937, specialising in dry bulk solids handling equipment and systems. In the 1980s the company was one of the first in North America to manufacture bulk bag fillers and unloaders, pioneering technology taken for granted today. This acquisition will enable Spiroflow to consolidate its presence in Canada and North America, and offer enhanced technology and services to customers in North, South and Central America, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines and Japan, as well as Europe.

Spiroflow Ltd is a manufacturer of Flexible Screw Conveyors, Aero Mechanical Conveyors, Tubular Cable and Chain Drag Conveyors, Vacuum Conveyors, Bulk Bag Dischargers, Bulk Bag Fillers, Ingredients Handling and Weighing Systems. The company’s technical and engineering expertise has led to it developing an international reputation for an unrivalled range of products with state-of-the-art control systems.
Rob Hudson, Managing Director at Spiroflow, commented: “This latest acquisition brings significant benefits to Spiroflow and our customers. First of all we gained a full order book which we immediately began to fulfil so that customers experienced minimal disruption. We will also enjoy an expanded presence in Canada which will enable us to broaden our sales, engineering, manufacturing and services capabilities for our continually growing global customer base.
“The ethos of Control & Metering – innovation underpinned by outstanding customer service – was very much reflected in Spiroflow’s own vision. Our technical team is constantly innovating, developing new solutions and adaptations in our test centre to meet customer demand for the next improvement or upgrade. There’s no doubt that the expertise and technical excellence of Control & Metering will influence Spiroflow’s development and help us to maximise our future achievements, particularly in forthcoming new products and applications.”
For more information on Spiroflow’s products and services visit www.spiroflow.com or call +44 (0)1200 422525.
NOVEMBER 13, 2013
SPIROFLOW LAUNCHES ENHANCED C1 BULK BAG FILLER

SPIROFLOW LAUNCHES ENHANCED C1 BULK BAG FILLER
Spiroflow Ltd, world-leading manufacturer of conveying and weighing systems, has announced an upgrade to one of its most popular weigh fillers for pallet handled bags – the C1.
Ideal for low to medium volume use where bulk bags filled on pallets are moved by forklift truck, the new C1 facilitates dust-free, accurate filling of up to 20 bulk bags per hour. Its base is directly mounted on an approved load cell weigh platform and the required weight can be pre-set for automatic cut-off. The platform includes a vibration facility for an even, accurate fill and effective compaction – perfect for handling products that aerate and resulting in a stable load for both storage and transportation.
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Boasting modular construction for ease of modification, the new C1 now features automatic height adjustment for different sized bags. Its inflatable neck seal ensures a dust-free environment and minimises product waste, and removing the filled bags has been made even speedier with the addition of a roller conveyor to complement the automatic bag loop release facility.
The new C1 has also retained many of the features which have helped to make it one of Spiroflow’s most popular products across multiple industry sectors, including a carbon/stainless steel filling nozzle and a dual concentric filling spout incorporating a venting system.

Rob Hudson, Managing Director at Spiroflow, explained: “Many millions of bulk bags, with a capacity from 500kg to 1500kg, are sold worldwide every year, making them one of the most convenient, cost-effective methods of packaging, storage and transport. Customers in industries ranging from food and pharmaceuticals to plastics and building products use bulk bags, and hence require the best equipment to fill and discharge their often fragile or fine-particle products quickly and with the minimum of fuss.

“At Spiroflow our technical team is constantly innovating, developing new solutions and adaptations in our test centre to meet customer demand for the next improvement or upgrade. Our C Series of weigh fillers remain extremely popular as they’re both efficient and versatile, and we’re confident that the new C1 will prove an equally successful addition to our range.”
Spiroflow Ltd is a manufacturer of Flexible Screw Conveyors, Aero Mechanical Conveyors, Tubular Cable and Chain Drag Conveyors, Vacuum Conveyors, Bulk Bag Dischargers, Bulk Bag Fillers, Ingredients Handling and Weighing Systems. The company’s technical and engineering expertise has led to it developing an international reputation for an unrivalled range of products with state-of-the-art control systems.
For more information on Spiroflow’s products and services visit www.spiroflow.com or call +44 (0)1200 422525.
MAY 10, 2013
Power Adhesives stick with Spiroflow

Back in 1997, Spiroflow supplied four Bulk Bag Dischargers to Power Adhesives Ltd to assist them in automating their manufacturing process, to reduce manual handling, improve safety and increase efficiency.

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Established in 1974, Power Adhesives Ltd is Europe’s leading shaped hot melt adhesive specialist. They offer the largest range of high quality, competitively priced hot melt glue sticks and glue guns in the world. Power Adhesives products are sold under the TEC™ and TECBOND® brand names, through an international network of specialist distributors.

Previously to 1997, pallets stacked with 25kg bags of each glue constituent were lifted to a mezzanine floor by fork lift truck. The bags were then manually emptied into hoppers for mixing. Steve Sweeney, Technical Director at Power Adhesives, recognised that; buying the chemicals in bulk bags and automating the discharging process would reduce manual handling by several hundred tonnes a year and dramatically reduce dust emissions, whilst also making the whole operation less prone to errors.
Steve Sweeney first came across Spiroflow and their range of Bulk Bag Dischargers after reading a press release in an industry magazine. He visited their test facility in Clitheroe, Lancashire to see for himself how difficult materials, which had a tendency to block and bridge, could be reliably discharged from compacted bags. After witnessing several successful tests, Power Adhesives decided to purchase 4 Spiroflow Model T5 Bulk Bag Dischargers.
Spiroflow’s Model T5 bulk bag discharger is specifically designed for restricted height areas. It has two sections, upper support frame and mainframe. The upper bag support frame is lifted off by FLT so that a full bag can be positioned on to it at ground level. Fork channels at the base of this frame mean that a lift of only 1.5 to 2 metres is needed to locate it back on to the discharger mainframe, where it is docked in place.
The new Bulk Bag Discharger system allowed Power Adhesives to purchase the additives in 1100kg Bulk Bags, which reduced the cost of their raw materials, reduced dust emissions and reduced the cost of spent bag disposal.
During 2004, Steve Sweeney completely reorganised the layout of the Power Adhesives factory moving the 4 Spiroflow Bulk Bag Dischargers to another mezzanine floor with no headroom restrictions. Full bags are now lifted into the Dischargers directly from the ground floor below by way of overhead hoists. The various ingredients are each discharged at the necessary rates of up to 100kg per hour to suit the particular batch formulation of which there are approximately 50.
So, although the Dischargers are no longer operating in their original manner, they are still in service today and working perfectly to the customer’s entire satisfaction. From the discharge hopper the ingredients flow into a transition hopper, through a butterfly valve where they are transferred via vacuum to an extruder for processing.
Steve Sweeney confirms, “The Spiroflow system was re-sited in 2004 and has allowed us to completely computerise our manufacturing process, it allows us to change product formulation in no more than a couple of minutes and also has dramatically reduced the probability of mixing errors.”
To learn more about Spiroflow Bulk Bag Dischargers and Fillers, and their ranges of Tubular Drag Conveyors, Flexible Screw Conveyors, Aero-Mechanical Conveyors, and Vacuum Conveyors, visit their web site at www.spiroflow.com or call them on +44 (0)1200 422525 to discuss your specific requirements.