Modular weighbridge supports animal feed producer

London -- Animal feed producer Harbro Ltd is achieving a number of benefits at its new Lesmahagow blending site following the installation of modular weighbridge system to meet an increase in production The company has saved 60% of the cost of buying a new deck, has reduced installation time and is maximising productivity.

The new site blends grains, minerals and other additives in various quantities to create the different feed types. These products are stored in 28 bins that are erected over the new weighbridge to enable automatic outloading.

Vehicles drive onto the new Avery Weigh-Tronix modular BridgeMont and the driver selects the customer order details using the Avery Weigh-Tronix Evolution 1205 weight indicator. Filling starts and each different product type is released into the back of the lorry until the required total weight is reached.

Harbro expects production to increase and may need to install extra bins and lengthen the weighbridge to cope with demand. With a traditional one-piece weighbridge, this would require the entire scale to be replaced at a cost of around £20,000. The modular weighbridge design  facilitates future site expansions, as Harbro can easily add another module to increase the ‘bridge length to 27 metres for around only £8,000, said Avery Weigh-Tronix.

A further advantage of the silo construction is that the site can operate more efficiently as the weighing and filling processes both take place on the ‘bridge. This means that Harbro is saving fuel costs and maximising productivity because the vehicle does not need to be driven to another area of the site to check its loaded weight.

Harbro, which is part of the Harbro Group, manufactures over 300,000 tonnes of animal feed per year for dairy, beef, sheep, pig and poultry farmers and is now considering purchasing a second weighbridge for the Lesmahagow site.