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Customer application

Automated storage and transfer of wheat and buckwheat flour

Bakery and Biscuit Industry Crêpe and Pancake Production

Our client, a company based in Brittany, specialises in the manufacture of plain and filled crêpes and galettes. With an annual production of over 80 million crêpes and galettes, the company was faced with constraints related to a manual flour handling process. The flour, packaged in bags, had to be transported to the mixing room and emptied manually. This system was labour-intensive and lacked precision. To solve these problems, the company chose to invest in an automated silo storage solution and a pneumatic flour transfer system to feed the mixers directly.

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Réparation et remise en route du silo après une tempête

The customer’s challenge

The company was looking to reduce the physical strain of work associated with manually handling bags. It also wanted to optimise the ergonomics of workstations in order to improve working conditions for its employees. The objective was to automate dosing to guarantee optimal precision, limit losses and ensure complete traceability of raw materials through to final production.

The tailor-made solution offered by Syvrac

To meet our customer’s needs, Syvrac designed and installed a complete system. This system includes specially adapted storage silos, consisting of two 50 m³ silos for white flour and two 20 m³ silos for buckwheat flour. An standalone big bag emptying system allows for precise dosing of the salt needed to prepare the pancake batter. A pneumatic transfer system ensures the smooth, automated transport of the flour to the kneading machines via two separate lines. Thanks to an intuitive touchscreen interface, operators can select the necessary products according to requirements directly from the kneading room.

Details of the proposed solution

Custom-designed flexible storage silos

The flexible silos were specially designed to fit perfectly into the existing building, which was refurbished for the occasion. Each silo is made of galvanised tubes measuring 120 x 120 x 3 mm, which guarantee robustness and durability. The silos are equipped with high-precision weighing sensors, allowing for rigorous stock control. The load cells, each with a capacity of 10,000 kg, ensure optimal management of raw materials. An integrated safety system limits the unloading pressure to 0.8 bar, protecting both the equipment and the operators. Under each silo, dosing screws mounted on variable speed drives precisely dose the flour into the pneumatic transfer pipes. The dosing screws are mounted on an independent frame to avoid interference with the silo weighing measurements.

The ergonomic and secure big bag emptying station

The big bag emptying station (bulk bag) has been designed to simplify handling and dosing of materials such as salt. A motorised hoist combined with an IPN beam facilitates the handling of big bags. The operator can control all operations using a wired remote control. An ergonomic access hatch allows the big bags to be untied and released in complete safety. A vibrating table ensures even, dust-free emptying. A food-grade seal guarantees perfect airtightness during operation.

Automated pneumatic transfer

Pneumatic transfer ensures smooth and precise delivery of flour to the kneading machines. At the head of the network, a lobe blower with a capacity of 450 m³/h creates a vacuum in the pipes to suck up the flour. At the operator’s request, via the touchscreen interface located in the kneading room, the system starts up and transports the selected flour from the silos to the filter cyclones. The dosing screw located under the silos starts up and stops automatically when the required weight is reached, taking into account the weight loss due to the length of the circuit. Once the transfer is complete, the vacuum continues to leave the pipes perfectly clean and free of residue.

The control cabinet in the storage room

The control cabinet is the heart of the installation. Inside, all the i40 displays for the silo load cells, filter cycles and Big Bag emptying machine are centralised and controlled by a SIEMENS S7-1200 PLC. The interface is equipped with a TP1200 touch screen. To facilitate operation, a synoptic diagram guides the operator and allows them to quickly view which elements are in operation or shut down.

The advantages of the Syvrac solution

With this installation, SYVRAC has fully met its customer’s expectations by delivering a project that meets the objectives set. Operators no longer have to handle bags, which reduces the drudgery of the work and improves their working conditions. Product traceability is now fully controlled, and preparation cycles are considerably faster.

Bulk storage has enabled the company to make savings by purchasing flour in bulk, which is more cost-effective than supplying it in bags. Silo management is also optimised via an alert system based on the weight remaining in the silos, which facilitates timely replenishment.