How vacuum conveying makes Fiedler & Lundgren's snus production safer and more efficient

Fiedler & Lundgren is one of Sweden's best-known snus manufacturers. In its current form, the company has existed since 2002, but the name is linked to a tobacco tradition that stretches back to the 18th century. Since 2008, Fiedler & Lundgren has been part of the global BAT (British American Tobacco) group, and the modern facility in Malmö now produces portion bags of both traditional and white snus, sold under brands such as Lundgrens, Velo, Mocca and Granit.

Mazlam Orhan is a Technical Support Specialist at Fiedler & Lundgren. He works closely with production and is responsible for innovations and improvements to machines and installations. Since he joined the company in 2004, the business has grown considerably:

- says Mazlam.

At that time, Fiedler & Lundgren used a shorter conveyor belt and screw conveyors to move and dose the material, combined with manual filling. The solution was "good enough" as long as the volumes were small, but as production scaled up, the shortcomings and limitations became increasingly apparent.

The challenge: Health and safety risks and inefficient material handling

Mazlam Orhan highlights three factors that made him and his colleagues look for alternatives:

1 Work environment

"Operators had to climb ladders almost three metres high to load material, and because the system was open, they also risked exposure to harmful dust."

2. Operational safety

"The material could get stuck under the conveyor belt and rollers. Screws could also break, resulting in uneven dosing. This led to unplanned downtime, sometimes several times a day, and a lot of spillage. We simply could not get the volumes we wanted."

3. Productivity

"Every time the machines needed to be cleaned before changing varieties, operators had to take apart all the parts that had been in contact with the material to wash, dry-blast and reassemble. This could take half a working day. For something that needs to be done at least once a week, that's way too much lost production time. After all, time is money."

The solution: Vacuum conveying from Piab

To overcome these challenges, Fiedler & Lundgren started looking at alternative ways of transporting materials in production.

"At first we imagined a better designed version of the screw conveyor. It's hard to think outside the box when you don't know what the possibilities are. We were also relatively new to the industry at the time. But after more research, we realised that vacuum conveying could be an option. We looked for potential suppliers, got curious about Piab, and got in touch." says Mazlam.

Proof of concept decided the choice

After Piab's experts visited Fiedler & Lundgren to present their ideas, tests, and eventually a pilot project, were carried out with Piab's vacuum coveyors on site at the factory in Malmö. This gave Mazlam and his colleagues the proof of concept that this was the solution they were looking for:

A scalable solution to grow with

Fiedler & Lundgren's transition from open systems and manual filling to Piab's automated and hygienic material handling took place in 2006. Since then, production volumes have steadily increased - and Piab's equipment has scaled up to keep up with the growth rate:

says Mazlam.

The result: Safer, more efficient and profitable production

How does transporting material with Piab's vacuum technology affect everyday life at the Malmö plant? Mazlam describes major benefits for both the work environment and productivity.

Automated filling = better working environment

Previously, skip lifters were used to lift containers and tilt the material into the machines. With Piab's vacuum transport solution, filling is instead done with pumps and cyclones, providing a smoother flow of material and minimising the need for manual handling.

Mazlam notes with satisfaction. And because the material is transported in sealed pipes, the risk of harmful dust spreading in the premises is also reduced.

More efficient cleaning and sorting = less downtime

Since the entire equipment does not have to be dismantled each time, cleaning between sorting has become much more efficient:

"To clean the pipes, it is enough to send a foam rubber cleaner a couple of times thorugh the conveying pipeline. The whole process has gone from taking about four hours to being completed in 20-30 minutes," says Mazlam.

Piab's design also has fewer moving parts, which saves time and reduces the risk of errors when the equipment needs to be dismantled and reassembled. And with a clear OPL (One Point Lesson), it's almost like putting together a Lego set, according to Mazlam:

Food-grade equipment = less waste

Today, downtime and spillages are rare in the Fiedler & Lundgren factory. But if something does go wrong, the product rarely needs to be discarded. This is because all parts of Piab's equipment are food-approved, and there is no harmful contamination when they come into contact with the material.

"In the past, we might have had to vacuum away material that had fallen by the wayside. Now we can put it back into production, which of course saves money," says Mazlam.

The collaboration has had a ripple effect within the BAT Group

Mazlam has no hesitation in recommending other companies to use vacuum conveying for material handling, for snus as well as for other products:

"It is a gentle and efficient way to transport most materials. The drier the product, the better the flow you get," he explains.

A major challenge with snus is the high moisture content, which makes the material to settle. Here, Piab has been an invaluable partner in constantly developing new and better solutions, according to Mazlam. He also praises the ongoing support he and his colleagues receive from Piab's team:

The successful collaboration with Piab has spread to other parts of British American Tobacco, of which Fiedler & Lundgrens has been a part since 2008:

"Among other things, we have received visits from a relatively newly opened factory in Hungary, which has learnt from our knowledge and experience. It feels good to be seen as a pioneer within the group," concludes Mazlam.

Discover the benefits of vacuum conveying for food production

Curious about how a Piab vacuum conveying solution could improve safety and productivity in your operation? Don't hesitate to get in touch and we'll tell you more.