New compact packaging line means more value for money

Ventocompact, FLSmidth Ventomatic’s novel new packaging and palletizing line, is all about saving space and resources. For cement packing plants, this means reduced civil engineering costs, and less time spent on erection and maintenance.

Good design is all about meeting the needs of the end user – and the R&D team at FLSmidth Ventomatic took this to heart when designing Ventocompact, a new compact packing and palletizing line. For most cement factories, the purchase of equipment is the biggest investment cost, followed closely by civil engineering, cabling, installation and maintenance – and that’s where customers can make big savings with Ventocompact.

At just eight metres, Ventocompact is one-third the height of most other packing and palletizing lines on the market, making it perfect for small terminals placed near the jetty where space and height constraints are very stringent. 
But the smaller size doesn’t reduce the output: the line can still handle up to 3,000 bags of cement, dry mortar or lime per hour. It has already been sold to cement plants in Asia, South America and Africa, and the customers are reaping the benefits.

Reducing civil engineering and erection costs

The cost savings are due to the amount of space Ventocompact requires, as Francesco Ferrandico, Vice President Sales & Marketing at FLSmidth Ventomatic, explains: “We know that capital costs are significant for most cement plants, so we designed Ventocompact with this in mind. With a space-efficient packing and palletizing line, customers can minimise civil engineering costs and the resources required for the erection.”

At a typical cement packing plant, the erection, commissioning and start-up phases add around 25 percent on top of the cost of equipment. So to reduce the on-site assembly work, much of Ventocompact is delivered from FLSmidth Ventomatic’s workshop pre-assembled and pre-wired. This greatly shortens the amount of time it takes to erect the equipment on-site and prepare it for use.

“Many companies like to take care of the erection work themselves, including all steel works,” says Francesco. “In these cases, we supply the fabrication drawings for the parts that can be manufactured locally. But if the customer prefers to concentrate on other parts of the plant, we can take care of the entire packing and palletizing project, including all steel supporting frames for our line. Either way, Ventocompact will cost less than a normal packing line.”

Fewer parts means less maintenance

The running costs at a cement plant stem mainly from maintenance work – and reducing this was a major consideration for the design team. The answer was to cut the number of non-core parts down to a minimum. “We put all our years of experience into building a line that is simple to use, efficient to run and reliable,” explains Francesco. “We have also minimised the auxiliary equipment between each machine to reduce the risk of breakdown and cut the amount of maintenance needed.”

All this adds up to big potential savings for cement plants around the world.

The complete compact line
Self-supported packing plant
– a complete packing system with a modular design, which means minimal civil works and a short erection time

Bag applicator INFILROT BU
– a simplified system for maximum reliability and efficiency, and reduced maintenance costs

Check weigher VENTOCHECK III
– an accurate weigher with monitoring software and integrated correction feedback

Palletizer POLICEM
-a compressed-air-free system for reduced maintenance requirements

Where could you save with Ventocompact compared 
to a traditional line?

Core equipment: same cost
Civil engineering: the smaller space means significant savings
Erection: the modular design means you can complete the electrical and mechanical erection quickly, with minimum resources and without sub-suppliers
Manpower: thanks to the compact design, it takes just one person to operate the complete line

Visit FLSmidth Ventomatic.
For further details/enquiry, please mail (office@ventomatic.it) us