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Drawing on their previous work experiences in the pet and animal feed industries, a core group of employees founded APEC in 1992. APEC has steadily grown into what is now one of the industry leaders in providing material handling equipment for pet and animal feed production facilities. First occupying a medium sized pole barn, APEC is now housed in a 66,000 square foot production facility. Located in Lake Odessa MI, APEC is in the heart on the industrial Midwest. The goal at APEC is to be the world leader in the design and manufacturing of integrated process and control systems in a way that will be mutually beneficial for their customers and themselves. APEC will continually strive to provide superior quality products and services to their clients. APEC easily serves a global marketplace. Current equipment and control installation locations include The United States, Canada, Central and South America, France, Spain, The Netherlands, Greece, Russia and Australia. Some of the major accounts include IAMS, Hills, Purina, Cargil, Doanes Petcare, Agribrands and Pilgrims Pride. APEC is primarily known throughout the pet food industry for the Mistcoater liquid applicator. This unit provides an attractive alternative to the open-ended drum and spray nozzle arrangements typically associated with coating systems. The Mistcoater is a totally enclosed machine that utilizes spinning disks to atomize the liquid(s) and apply it to a cascading dry product. The product to be coated enters into the machine and falls onto a rotating “dry disk”. The material falls off the dry disk in a cascading helical pattern. Simultaneously, the liquid is pumped onto spinning disks located in the center of the cascading product. This liquid is atomized and flung out into the falling dry material. Internal scrapers prevent product build up on the walls of the coating chamber. An optional twin screw ribbon and paddle conveyor gently mixes and allows the product to rub against one another which further increases the quality of the coating. Liquid enters the machine through a single hollow vertical shaft. There are no spray nozzles to clog and create maintenance headaches. Multiple liquids are applied by simple static mixing just before the point of introduction into the Mistcoater. APEC compliments the Mistcoater with a complete package designed especially for the application of micro liquids such as enzymes and mold inhibitors. An optional loss in weight or volumetric powder feeder allows for the tack application of powders such as digest, whey, gravy or flavorings. The simplicity and versatility of the machine makes it a logical choice for liquid application. Along with the Mistcoater, APEC also offers a complete line of material handling equipment which makes them a single point supplier. APEC offers micro ingredient scales with the standard rollover type scale or optional indexing scale vessel for those applications that require no cross contamination. Available in 4 to 24 bin clusters, the APEC micro scale consumes less floor space than their competitors. The optional TSS feeder drive system achieves accuracy of 0.01 pounds. Ribbon mixers come fabricated in mild or stainless with sizes ranging from 150kgs to 5 metric tons. Other peripheral components include screw feeders, drag conveyors, belt conveyors, diverters, slide gates and bulk bag unloaders. Dry flow sensing equipment includes weigh screw and weigh belt conveyors plus the CentriFlow mass flow meter. A full range of liquid handling equipment completes any system package. This includes pumps, filters, day tanks and coreolis type flowmeters. Well established in the pet food industry, APEC continues to improve and expand its product line in order to best serve their customer base as well as branching out to other industries.
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