APEC Blog

The APEC team is here to be your number one resource regarding all automated processing topics. Explore our blog posts below to learn more.

5 Tips to Reduce Downtime in Dry Ingredient Processing

Reducing downtime is a high priority for almost every dry ingredient processing facility. From food grade ingredients to pharmaceutical grade to industrial materials and more, reducing downtime means improving production and reducing errors. With a streamlined process and a few precautions, you can reduce downtime…
Read More

What is a Cattle Feed Microingredient Machine?

For many, it may be surprising just how much science goes into raising and feeding cattle. Getting cattle to grow large and grow quickly, with minimal waste, has been studied for decades. This has created a range of ingredients that go into cattle feed. Cattle…
Read More

4 Steps for Effective Post-Pelleting Liquid Application

Post-pelleting liquid application can make it easier to add many essential ingredients to animal feed, including essential enzymes, vitamins and minerals. However, accurate, uniform coating can be a challenge. Pellet breakage and product loss can also be a challenge in post-pelleting liquid application. A few…
Read More

Bulk Powder Handling Equipment with the Quickest ROI

Working with materials in bulk can present challenges that aren’t presented by smaller amounts. Powders also present many handling challenges. With the right bulk powder handling equipment, you can minimize problems while also improving efficiency. Choosing the right equipment improvements can help you maximize ROI.…
Read More

Using Automation to Improve Bulk Material Handling Efficiency

From the first assembly line to the complex robotics in use today, automated equipment is designed to make processes more efficient. Efficiency may mean optimizing equipment uptime, reducing unexpected downtime, or simply making a process faster. Automation in bulk material handling can be used at…
Read More

Using Automation in Bulk Material Handling Systems to Overcome Labor Shortages

Recently, labor shortages have raised issues for businesses in almost every industry. As employers struggle to build production back up and reopen after closing during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, finding or re-hiring qualified workers has proven to be difficult. Though recent events have…
Read More

Process Improvements to Increase Efficiency in Pet Food Processing

Increasing efficiency can mean many things. It might mean decreasing waste, lowering costs, improving speed, or increasing overall production. There are many ways to go about this. These improvements can also be difficult to compare or analyze. In this blog post, we’ll discuss a few…
Read More

Engineering Liquid Systems by Liquid Ingredient Characteristics

The right liquid system can make food processing and production easy and efficient, while the wrong one can cause downtime, expensive maintenance and frustration. The optimal design of a liquid system is highly dependent on the characteristics of the liquid. Liquid systems that are designed…
Read More

7 Tips to Maintain GMP for Food Safety in Manufacturing

Good manufacturing practices (GMP) help to reduce risk and prevent illness and injury throughout the supply chain. CFR Title 21 Part 110 lays out GMP for food safety in manufacturing, covering a range of activities from packaging to processing to storage and more. In some…
Read More

Batch Process Control: No Programming Required

For many operators, batch process controls are a black box—it’s unclear what’s inside them, how they’re programmed, or how exactly they control the rest of the system. This presents problems for both operators and engineers. Making even a small change or upgrade requires a service…
Read More