All too often these days, we hear the "doom and gloom" stories about companies laying people off, or not enough work coming through the door. We've all heard them and the media loves them - bad news makes news and we get it rammed down our throats. Well I spent all of last week in New Zealand organising things for the Auckland seminar on the 24th May and visiting some of our valued Kiwi suppliers and I have to say that it is very refreshing to talk to so many NZ companies who are excelling in our industry.

You have to admire the drive and determination to succeed that exists in NZ and while many companies do well out of the local market, it seems to me that it is the initiative to embrace the export market that has seen many of these companies excel. I get a great buzz when I talk to people and hear about their successes and it is fantastic to hear how many have found markets for their products, systems and expertise in places such as South America, the Middle East, North America, Europe and SE Asia.

When you consider that today we all compete in this global market against the best that the world has to offer, suppliers from the rest of the world have their work cut out to compete against the quality and expertise that many New Zealand companies are offering.

I always like to get face to face with our listed suppliers, regardless of whether they are located in New Zealand or Australia. As well as hearing all the good news stories, the feedback that I get during these meetings helps us to develop this industry resource in a way that is beneficial to both suppliers and end users alike. So thank you to all who offered their thoughts and ideas to me last week. Your ideas will be taken on board and where appropriate, adopted. Of course, we always welcome any feedback and we don't have to meet for you to let me know what you think. You can use the contact form on the web site, or simply email me with your comments.

As always, I hope you find this months newsletter of interest and thank you for supporting the resource that supports the local Powder Handling and Processing Industry.

Paul Nutter
PowderHandling.com.au
Phone: 0431 022 066
Email

In this months Newsletter:

April’s Featured Company – Australian Dust Control
Powder Handling Seminars
Featured Article – Bulk Handling System Eliminates Dust, Reduces Material Waste
Product of the Month - Unique Discharge Technology Solves Extreme Product Flow Problems
Top 20 Most Visited Suppliers
Other Industry News and Articles
Google Search Phrases
Newsletter Contributions
Final Thought

April's Featured Company:

Australian Dust Control is an Australian owned and managed company located in Sydney specialising in providing solutions for workplaces requiring dust and fume extraction. Whether it is a one-off component or a complete Turn Key system, Australian Dust Control uses the latest filtration technology and best quality Australian made products. And with a solid background in engineering and over 25 years of industry experience, knowledge and expertise, their clients are assured of an advanced level of performance from start to finish.
More....>

Powder Handling Seminars:

Auckland, NZ – 24th May 2007:

Places are still available for our first New Zealand Powder Handling & Processing Seminar, which is being held in Auckland on the 24th May 2007 at Sorrento in the Park in One Tree Hill Domain.

This is a one day seminar, which runs from 9.00am to 5.00pm (approx) and features five very interesting and informative presentations by experts in these individual fields. Full details of each presentation, costs and inclusions, details of the venue and online registration form are available on the web site now. Click here to find all the details.

Register and pay by credit card using the Online Registration Form.



Perth WA – 25th July 2007:

Full details of the Perth seminar on the 25th July 2007 will be availbe shortly. Program details are still being finalised, but the preliminary program includes:

• Silo & hopper design, discharging difficult to manage products
• The importance of correct dust collection design
• Sampling Equipment
• The importance of proper conveyor system maintenance inspections
• The use of Impact Weighers in the bulk materials handling idustry

This is a one-day seminar. The cost for attending is $299.00 (plus GST) per delegate, which will include morning and afternoon tea, lunch and full seminar notes.

Places will be strictly limited. So to avoid disappointment, register your interest now to get booking priority once all details are finalised and released. Delegates who pre-registered their interest, also receive a 10% discount off the attendance cost.

Registering your interest is NOT a commitment to attend; it is your guarantee of getting priority notification and first refusal of available places.

Register your interest for the Perth seminar using the online form.

Melbourne VIC – October 2007:

Planning is also underway for an event in Melbourne in October 2007. Further details of this event, including agenda and costs, will be released on the web site soon.

Places will again be limited for this one day seminar. So to avoid disappointment, register your interest now and get booking priority once all details are finalised and released. Delegates who pre-registered their interest, also receive a 10% discount off the attendance cost.

Registering your interest is NOT a commitment to attend; it is your guarantee of getting priority notification and first refusal of available places.

Register your interest for the Perth seminar using the online form.


Sponsorship opportunities are available for all seminars held by PowderHandling. Email us for more information.

Featured Article:

The manufacture of corrugated board used in promotional and point-of-sale packaging solutions can be messy and wasteful without an integrated bulk handling and dust collection solution such as that now being employed by SCA Packaging at its Co. Durham, UK, facility. The starch-based glue required in the manufacture of corrugated board, which SCA uses in its production of laminated corrugated cardboard, can produce airborne dust pollution both inside and outside the production facility-a scenario the company previously faced. SCA protected its workers, prevented plant contamination, and reduced material waste by installing a Flexicon bag dump station, filter, and conveyor system. The system has also resulted in improved mix quality and cut mixing times by half.
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Product of the Month:

Commonly available discharge devices are mostly ineffective for cohesive and fibrous products. In most instances, dischargers and feeders have a tendency to introduce high shear and compaction into the product, creating high consolidation and conglomeration of the product. In addition, improper hopper design also aids to unfavourable product flow regimes. The results of these outcomes are operator safety issues, high costs of hopper manufacture and poor plant performance.

To solve these common issues, Industrial Powder Technology, has developed the Siletta Multifunction Discharge systems. A total of 40 years of development into the design of the Siletta has been undertaken and systems have been used in Europe since 1974.
More....>

Top 20 Most Visited Suppliers:

The rating for our top 20 suppliers, is based on the number of times each companys listing on the Suppliers Directory of the PowderHandling web site has been viewed by users of the web site.

The current 20 most popular companies on the Suppliers Directory are:-

1) Flexicon Corporation (Australia) Pty Limited
2) Fresco Systems Australasia
3) Matcon Pacific Pty Ltd
4) Nu-Con Australia Pty Ltd
5) Kinder & Co Pty Ltd
6) Davey Group
7) CAS Enterprises Ltd
8) NDA Engineering Ltd
9) FiltaireProducts Pty Ltd
10) Kockums Bulk Systems Pty Ltd
11) Total Engineering Systems Pty Ltd
12) Downer MBL Ltd
13) NTR Engineers Pty Ltd
14) Hisen Equipment Pty Ltd
15) Trans Tasman Engineering Ltd
16) Trans-Tainer Pty Ltd
17) Control Automation Pty Ltd
18) Flow Force Technologies Pty Ltd
19) Downer MBL Pty Ltd
20) Aust-Mech Australian Conveyor Systems

Other Industry News and Articles:

Regular articles and news items are always being added to the PowderHandling.com.au web site. Click on the links below to read some of the recent additions, or click here to go to the articles page and read all currently available articles.

# Hazard Monitoring Systems
# Portable Filter for Workplaces
# Comprehensive Level Indicator Range
# K-Tron Completes Acquisition of Chinese Business
# Hydrascrew Silo Unloader
# Cement Plant Conveys and Weighs "Green" Bulk Fuel
# Multiple Benefits From New Drier
# Recent Stork Wide Body Drier Innovations
# METTLER TOLEDO Safeline Introduces a New Metal Detector
# New Radar Sensor for Standard Measuring Tasks in Bulk Solids

Google Search Phrases:

As you would expect, the most popular referrer to PowderHandling.com.au is Google. Visitors to our web site find their way here from a vast array of search words or phrases, but currently, the most popular equipment search phrases on Google that have led visitors to our web site are:

1) IBC
2) Powder Handling
3) Pneumatic Conveying
4) Augers
5) Bag Sealers
6) Conveyor Technologies
7) Intermediate Bulk Containers
8) Dust Collectors
9) Powder Sampling Equipment
10) Bulk Powder Handling Equipment

Newsletter Contributions:

If you have any newsworthy items such as new product announcements, recently received orders, completed projects, new appointments etc., please email your contributions to us. Relevant items will also be included on the web site. Please note that inclusion of any contribution is solely at the editors’ discretion and editorial content may be modified without notification.

Final Thought:

"It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves." - Sir Edmund Hillary