Project Scope

Recovered Unsalable Production Gets Reclaimed and Re-purposed; Provides New Revenue Source for Project Owner

Initially thought by the project owner as means to facilitate the disposal of unsalable and overrun production, this fullstream product reclaim project, was, instead, engineered-to-application by NBE to function as a source of recurring sales of reclaimed, salable product for the project owner.

Project-Specific Engineering:

Multiple non-production factors, together with varied production-related factors from legacy processes, periodically coincide to negatively affect the product’s physical form and aesthetic specifications. Depending on the nature of these quality loss events, the product may be affected prior to, or after, the product is packaged. In either instance, while the product remains safe for use, it is considered unsalable to the project owner’s primary sales channels. During the on-site application analysis stage of the NBE engineered-to-application (ETA) project execution sequence, NBE application engineering practice leaders worked with the project owner to collaborate on design concepts for a product reclamation project that would enable the packaging for resale of this reclaimed product, rather than its costly and wasteful disposal. Reclamation and resale of the product requires converting the product to a more uniform material size and consistency. The packaged product conversion process is made possible by an NBE single-pack reclaim system. Defect product packages are loaded, then automatically staged and fed into a mechanical package opener. The package opener, using a high-speed, beveled-blade cutting head, makes precise slits in the packs sufficient to enable product to be released, while also reducing the introduction of packaging material into the product stream. The inline rotary separator removes empty packaging material from the product stream for collection for recycling. Reclaimed product, now removed from its packaging, is conveyed downstream to the material converting stage. Other defect product that occurred prior to packaging is conveyed into the material converting stage from a second, downstream product infeed station. The material converting stage reduces the reclaimed product from both sources to a more uniform material size and consistency. The uniform material properties enable reliable flow of the product to the downstream bag filling station and accurate weighing of the filled bags. The 50-pound bags of recovered and converted product are then sold by the project owner’s into secondary sales channels.

Project Performance:

Fundamental advantages of NBE engineered-to-application project execution are the application analysis expertise and systems integration proficiency of the NBE applications, mechanical, and automation engineering practices. Looking beyond the single, downstream product recovery need, NBE provides a broader enterprise-wide perspective. In collaboration with the project owner, this fullstream recovery and reclamation project was designed, engineered, manufactured, installed, and commissioned by NBE. What was previously a recurring source for material waste and declining production yield has become a source of revenue for the project owner. Waste disposal handling and fees have been eliminated, further adding to the improved effectiveness contribution of the processing and packaging operation.