Dry Processing SOLUTIONS
CASE STUDY VITAQUEST AARON HAND | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Mobile Powder Conveyors Provide Flexibility, Scalability A contract manufacturer of nutraceuticals and functional foods typically opts for vacuum conveyor technology. The mobile version maximizes production versatility, making cleaning and changeovers easier.
Taking it mobile Over the years, Vitaquest has moved toward mobile vacuum conveyors. It recently accepted delivery of its 10th mobile vacuum conveyor from Vac-U-Max at
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HERE’S RARELY AN ARGUMENT about the services a contract manufacturer/packager can offer when it comes to things like helping an emerging brand get started with manufacturing or helping an established brand launch a new product. But co-mans/co-packs have also become the centerpiece for innovation for a lot of brands, according to Ron Puvak, executive director of the Contract Packaging Association (CPA). He notes a Fortune 100 brand that has about 35% of its production run through a co-man—and 85% of its innovation. Vitaquest is a New Jersey-based custom contract manufacturer that produces, packages, and labels more than 4,000 nutraceutical and functional food formulations for more than 500 brands around the world. It’s an endeavor that requires continuous investment and continuous innovation. Vitaquest has a more than 40-year history as an early adopter of manufacturing technologies; it was one of the first companies to introduce a shelf-stable probiotic, and it also developed the first stick pack design and delivery. For its powder filling lines, Vitaquest opts primarily for vacuum conveyors, and has worked for more than 20 years with Vac-U-Max technology for its powder conveying needs. Though Vitaquest still uses a few screw feeders, it’s been making a conscious effort to move away from that technology. “Vacuum conveyors are the best choice for feeding filling lines for space savings, flexibility, reduced changeover time, simple operation, and minimal maintenance,” says Angel Simeon Jr., engineering manager for Vitaquest. “Screw feeders with hoppers require additional equipment to load the hoppers and more floor space. They are also heavier and take longer to set up and clean than vacuum conveyors.”
The mobile vacuum conveying system provides continuous supply of material from containers at floor level up and over to refill the stick packaging machine.
PHOTO COURTESY OF VAC-U-MAX
its new 200,000-sq-ft state-of-the-art facility, where it formulates and blends ingredients, processes them into a broad array of dosage forms, and packages them using a variety of packaging technologies, including pouches, stick packs, jars, and vials. Mobile vacuum conveyors are complete conveying systems that contain all the same conveying system components that rigidly installed vacuum conveyors have—the vacuum producer, filter separator, controls, convey tubing, and a pick-up wand—but on a compact mobile conveyor frame. “We have Vac-U-Max mobile conveyors, and we can use them anywhere with our equipment, like our pouching equipment, rotary fillers, and our stick pack lines—really, any of our powder filling lines,” Simeon says. www.profoodworld.com
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| April 2022 | PROFOOD WORLD
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