Adopting New Technologies Due to Customer’s Need
March 16, 2017
As I traveled throughout countries in Southeast Asia attending seminars, meeting with prospective clients and speaking at USSEC & WISHH seminars, I met many different kinds of people.…
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Hidden Losses At An Extrusion Plant And How To Avoid Them: Part II
March 9, 2017
As mentioned in Part I, we will be discussing the management of hidden losses. This is what my father and greatest mentor calls Management By Walking Around, MBWA.…
Hidden Losses At An Extrusion Plant & How To Avoid Them: Part I
March 2, 2017
There can be many times where, as a manager, you find yourself looking at your revenues wondering why the numbers are not adding up as you had projected.…
Value Stream Mapping: How? Part II
February 23, 2017
In last week’s blog, we covered what value stream mapping is and what its purpose is to an organization; to highlight problem areas or inefficiencies to improve. Below…
Value Stream Mapping: What and Why? Part I
February 16, 2017
Lean manufacturing is still a big part of business, but it has become second nature in most places and lost some of its original effect. Buzzwords and phrases…
Methane from Animal Agriculture: Being Open Minded With New Approaches
February 9, 2017
Growing up and working in and around agriculture, I’ve heard debates and discussions that pit those with environmental concerns squarely at odds with those in production agriculture. In…
What Capacity Does My Plant Need?
February 2, 2017
I often receive RFQ’s for new extrusion plants. This, aside from a business card or an email, is the first step in the process of acquiring a new…
Preparing for Equipment Start-Up: What to Plan For
January 26, 2017
So you recently became the proud owner of new equipment. You heard a lot of positive feedback, saw how it works and how it produces high quality product,…
Rice Bran Part 2: Extruded Rice Bran Can Help Replace Antibiotics in Animal Diets
January 19, 2017
I recently discussed the results of a study on our blog, and I reported the following: Extruded rice bran can be used to help improve performance in antibiotic-free…
Rice Bran Part 1: Extrusion Can Help Replace Antibiotics in Animal Diets
January 12, 2017
We often write about the changing landscape of food production, and what can help you during these transitions. One practice that we continually cover is antibiotic-free animal production…
Food Grade vs. Sanitary Design
January 5, 2017
Our extruders may be best known for processing feed ingredients, but several customers are producing products for human consumption. These products can include things like fortified blended foods…
Adding Value to Available Crops
December 29, 2016
Recently I had the opportunity to tour a cotton extrusion and pressing plant in Texas. I really enjoyed the trip because in Latin America most of our processing…
Purchasing Equipment? Some Questions to Ask Your Supplier..
December 22, 2016
In today’s global marketplace, agribusiness companies are faced with a multitude of suppliers and a range of technologies. Extruders are no different. Offered by manufacturers from all seven…
Cost Cutting Measures Can be Costly to Your Business
December 15, 2016
Management of costs is critical for every business, it is important to identify the areas where cost cutting is done responsibly and without adverse impact to the overall…
Estimating Bulk Densities of Mixed Products
December 8, 2016
Bulk density is an important metric in many things such as bagging or conveying, which we’ve written about in this past blog. Many websites and resources feature bulk…
Investors Looking for Growth Markets Should Stay & Invest in Africa, Not Go Home
December 1, 2016
Recent times have been tough in Africa. The financial markets went gloomy months ago. Africa’s economic growth will fall to 1.4% this year, says the IMF. Growth was…
Younger Animals More Likely To Be Energy Deficient
November 23, 2016
Recently, I was looking over a presentation that someone sent me, and I saw one slide on energy values of fats and oils based on age. It focused…
Opportunity for Growth in Pet Food in Developing Countries
November 17, 2016
Insta-Pro recently participated in Expo FIGAP 2016 in Guadalajara, the most important animal feed and pet food tradeshow in Mexico. Prior to the expo, Dr. Dave Albin presented…