Innovation At Work

Innovation At Work
Dyco helps dairy minimize labor with innovative storage
and retrieval system.
When Martins Ferry,
Ohio-based United Dairy Inc. needed a storage and retrieval solution, Dyco
delivered satisfaction with the installation of its new Mini-Bin Bulk
Storage and Retrieval System.
“United needed a system that minimized labor and
consumable materials such as corrugated boxes or bags,” says Scott
Seversin, technical salesperson for Dyco. “They had a blow molder on
order, but needed the system between that and the filler. In other words,
United needed to get the bottles from the blow molder to the filler.
I was responsible for discovering the wants and needs
of United, and later working with Dyco’s application specialists and
engineering department to come up with a solution for their needs. We
presented all of the features and benefits of the Mini-Bin System to
United, and later received an order for installation.”
The dairy was actually purchasing a new
Rocheleau 10-head blow molder to manufacture their own 8-ounce bottles
instead of buying from an outside supplier, Seversin says.
“They needed a bottle handling system to convey
bottles from the new blow molder to their filling line,” he says.
“The system also had to have the capability of storing bottles from
the blow mold machine when the filling line was not running and later
feeding bottles back on line, supplementing the blow mold when filler was
running. Supplementing the blow mold allows for desired filling speeds. The
system had to be fully automated with minimal operator
intervention.”
With Dyco’s newly designed and implemented
Mini-Bin Bulk Storage and Retrieval System, bottles are fed into and stored
in mobile bins from a blow molder. These mini-bins are then easily moved
around on their integrated casters and stored in a warehouse or shipped to
another facility for filling. When the containers are required for filling,
a bin is pushed into position, attached to a specialized elevator, and
conveyed into an unscrambler. The Mini-Bin System minimizes the labor
associated with unloading containers into a descrambler and consumes no
materials such as plastic film or banding used in other shipping or storage
methods.
“The Mini-Bin Bulk Storage and Retrieval System
from Dyco provides us an automated, innovative alternative to storing and
retrieving small, empty plastic containers,” says Gary Cowell, vice
president of operations for United Dairy. “The system has helped
minimize the labor and time associated with hand loading bottles for
orientation. It has helped eliminate the cost associated with materials
such as corrugated boxes, plastic film and banding consumed in other
shipping or storage methods.”
The stainless-steel framed bins, made from
FDA-approved materials, are equipped with
integrated casters for easy maneuvering and the loaded
mini bins are easily warehoused
to await filling or can be transported off site to be
filled at another facility, Seversin says.
With this system, containers are conveyed directly
from a blow molder and are directed to multiple mini-bin load stations.
Once a mini-bin has been filled to capacity, the containers feeding from
the blow molder are automatically redirected to another empty bin.
“The full bin is then easily removed from the loading position and
replaced with an empty bin, providing a constant alternate bin filling
process,” Seversin says. “This allows for a non-stop, smooth
running, continual blow-molding operation, eliminating waste and
overhead.”
United’s Cowell says Dyco did a great job.
“Besides the benefits I already mentioned, I really like the
trouble-free operation, more specifically the bulk conveyor,” he
says. “I don’t have to deal with any issues of bottles being
tipped over or jamming up.”
That’s high praise for Dyco, aiming to be the
“one-stop shop” for design, fabrication and installation of
container-conveying systems. — Dyco Inc.,
6951 Naus Way, Bloomsburg, Pa., 17815, phone: (570) 752-2757, fax: (570)
752-7366, e-mail: sales@dyco-inc.com, Web site: www.dyco-inc.com
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