Since installing the LOADRITE system, Tui has been able to streamline the manufacturing process and make their operation more productive.

 

The problem

Tui Products Ltd. is a New Zealand owned and operated company who specialize in producing garden products such as blended fertilizer and lawn seed. They supply retail garden outlets, hardware stores, councils (municipalities), bowling clubs etc. Tui’s main manufacturing operation is based in Mt. Maunganui. The company specializes in producing quality blended fertilizers, made from a mixture of different minerals.

They produce 180 pellets containing 71,920 gallons (316,800 litres) of fertilizer per day. The products are made to recipe and because every plant needs a particular balance of essential minerals, it is important for the quality of their products that the mix is just right. The cost of the specialty ingredients also means that Tui does not want to be overusing product, so an accurate weight means they can avoid giving away extra product.

When the minerals arrive on site, they are loaded into concrete bunkers, where they are stored. The minerals and compost then need to be weighed to the specially formulated recipes, which produce the fertilizer. Quantities of the minerals vary greatly; some are highly concentrated and only require small amounts. In order for the products to be effective, it is imperative that recipes are strictly adhered to. The ingredients are moved from the bunkers using one of two wheel loaders, to a reciprocal, where product is weighed to determine the right amount to add to the batch. It then gets mixed on the ground and loaded into hoppers where it goes through a machine and comes out packaged in plastic bags. While effective, Tui recognized that this process was time consuming.

 

The solution

Since installing the LOADRITE system, Tui has been able to streamline the manufacturing process and make their operation more productive. With the LOADRITE scale, they can weigh on the move, so there is no need to move the material to the reciprocal to weigh.

Tui has lots of different recipes and they mix them by ratio. The scale has a recipe blend and batch mode, which helps the operator to keep track of how much of each product is required, when working to a set recipe. You can store multiple recipes, so the operator can simply recall the recipe that is required, from memory and start the mix. If, for example, 7,000 tons of fertilizer is required, the LOADRITE can work out the individual product weights needed, by ingredient. Wheel loader operator Bob comments, “I use the blend mode to help make up the recipes. There’s just no way I could do my job without it, I’d be lost without it. I’d recommend the product to anyone”.