Weighbridge upgrade expands output at Ayamas Integrated Poultry

MALAYSIAN chicken integrator Ayamas Integrated Poultry Industry Sdn Bhd operates a feedmill at Port Klang and utilizes raw materials from Asia, Australia, Europe, the United States and South America. The company one of the largest in the country, provides processed chicken to the local market and exports to Singapore, Bangladesh, Brunei, Hong Kong and the Middle East.

Growing pains

The feedmill has a capacity of 160,000 metric tonnes of poultry feed per year, making it vital for the mill to have accurate measurements of incoming raw materials and outgoing finished product. When it was opened in 1990, the feedmill had a 12-meter weighbridge with a capacity of 40,000kg, which was installed by Avery Weigh-Tronix, a leading supplier of weighing solutions. After more than 20 years of successful operation at the site, incoming and outgoing trucks got longer and heavier as the plant’s capacity increased. As a result, longer trucks had to be unhooked from their prime movers in order to fit on the weighbridge platform. As well as the inconvenience caused, this also resulted in weighing accuracy problems.

Weighbridge replacement

For issues on longevity and reliability of the older weighbridge Ayamas came to Avery Weigh-Tronix. Upon evaluating the site requirements, the team from Avery Weigh-Tronix recommended replacement of the older scale with a new 18-meter BMC weighbridge.

The existing compression load cells, indicator and computer were retained, keeping costs down by re-using existing parts and reducing the need for additional training for weighbridge operators. Four new load cells were added, increasing the capacity of the weighbridge to 80,000kg.

Full site survey and consultation

The Avery Weigh-Tronix team further reviewed the Malaysian company’s needs. Together with Ayamas management, they inspected the mill for whatever improvements should be done on the site. The team advised the mill to move the weighbridge to a new location, making better use of the tight space available on site as well as offering smoother traffic slow and improved site security.

Fast weighing

After the changes at the site, Mr CH Lee, the Plant Manager at Ayamas feedmill, said, “The new weighbridge has enabled us to weigh longer trucks without having to remove the prime movers. This has helped to speed up the weighing process and increase throughput, enabling more vehicles to be weighed in a shorter amount of time.

“The new weighbridge also allows us to weigh incoming and outgoing loads far more accurately, resulting in less weighing disputes and more accurate invoicing, all of which have a direct impact on our profitability.”