Compound Feed Production Line in Ukraine

RICHI MACHINERY

What This Project Really Looked Like at the Beginning

The client first reached out in January 2024, not with a clear plan, but with a question:

“We have corn, sunflower cake, and some distillers grains… but how do we turn this into a stable commercial feed product?”

They were an agricultural investor group in central Ukraine. Grain supply was not the issue. The issue was value—selling raw corn brings one margin, turning it into compound feed brings another.

But they had concerns:

• Different raw materials behave very differently in grinding
• Sunflower cake tends to clog
• Distillers grains vary a lot in moisture
• They didn’t want a complicated system requiring too many workers

After about 6 weeks of discussions, raw material testing, and layout adjustments, the idea became clear:
build a compact but efficient 18t/h compound feed production line in Ukraine, focused on cost control and operational simplicity.

Contract signed: April 2024

RICHI MACHINERY

Basic Project Parameters

RICHI MACHINERY

Plant Layout — Why It Looks Simple but Isn’t

The compound feed mill factory layout was one of the more interesting parts.

Instead of building vertically (which is common), the client preferred a semi-horizontal layout due to construction cost and local building practices.

Main Functional Zones

One thing we insisted on:
separating dusty areas from clean zones. Otherwise, maintenance becomes a nightmare within a year.

RICHI MACHINERY

Raw Materials

Ukraine has strong grain resources, especially corn and oilseed by-products. But consistency is always a challenge.

Here’s the actual consumption plan:

We had to adjust the feeding system slightly because sunflower cake tends to bridge inside bins.
A small change in hopper angle solved it.

RICHI MACHINERY

Product Plan

The livestock and poultry feed processed in this project is all in powder form. Therefore, it does not include pelleting.

Main applications:

• Poultry farms
• Pig farms
• Integrated livestock operations

RICHI MACHINERY

How the Process Actually Runs

This 18t/h compound feed production line in Ukraine follows a multi-stage grinding + batching + mixing + optional re-grinding system.

Process Flow

1. Raw Material Intake
   • Corn and soybean meal delivered in bulk
   • Other materials delivered in bags
2. Primary Cleaning
   • Screening removes large impurities
   • Magnetic separation removes metal
3. Storage & Buffering
   • Corn stored in silos
   • Other materials stored in warehouses
4. Primary Grinding
   • Corn and soybean meal crushed
   • Sunflower cake and cottonseed meal processed separately
5. Batching
   • Multi-bin batching system (20 bins)
   • Electronic weighing system ensures accuracy
6. Mixing
   • Twin-shaft paddle mixer
   • Oil addition system included
7. Secondary Grinding (Optional Path)
   • For finer particle size feed
   • Improves digestibility
8. Finished Feed Handling
   • Direct to bulk silos
   • Or sent to packaging
9. Packaging / Bulk Loading
   • Automatic weighing and bagging
   • Bulk truck loading via pipeline

RICHI MACHINERY

Equipment Overview

Raw Grain Handling Section

Grinding Section

Batching & Mixing

Secondary Grinding & Finishing

Packaging & Bulk

Utilities and Consumption

Water is mainly used for staff, not production.

RICHI MACHINERY

Environmental Design Adjustments

We removed unrealistic elements like dry toilets and replaced them with:

• Sealed wastewater system
• Dust control via multi-stage bag filters
• Fully enclosed conveyors

Dust collection points were added at:

• Screening
• Grinding
• Batching
• Packaging

This made a big difference during inspection.

RICHI MACHINERY

Timeline — Real Project Rhythm

RICHI MACHINERY

Equipment Cost & Investment

RICHI MACHINERY

Small Things That Usually Don’t Get Written Down

• First day of trial run, the mixer discharge was slightly uneven
• Turned out one paddle angle needed adjustment
• After calibration, uniformity improved immediately

Also, workers adapted quickly to the batching system.
Only took about 3 days for operators to run it independently.

RICHI MACHINERY

Market Reality in Ukraine

Feed demand in Ukraine is stable, but what’s changing is quality expectation.

More farms are moving toward:

• Controlled nutrition
• Standardized feed
• Higher efficiency livestock production

That’s where a compound animal feed pellet plant like this fits in.

RICHI MACHINERY

A Practical Thought for Investors

Most clients initially ask:

• “Should I go for a larger capacity?”
• “Do I need a pelletizing section immediately?”

Our answer usually depends on raw material and market.

This 18t/h compound feed mill in Ukraine was designed to be:

• Scalable
• Stable
• Easy to operate

If you’re planning something similar, it’s better to start with what your raw materials can support—and then expand.

RICHI MACHINERY

What We Actually Delivered

Not just machines.

We worked through:

• Process design
• Layout planning
• Equipment manufacturing
• Installation guidance
• Operator training

That’s usually where projects either succeed—or struggle.

If you’re looking at building your own compound feed pellet production line, especially in regions with mixed raw material quality, it’s worth starting with a real conversation—not just a quotation list.