Dairy Cattle Feed Factory in Chile

RICHI MACHINERY

Project Snapshot

The project is an existing-site upgrade rather than a greenfield factory. The property covers 18,196.3 m², with 17,480 m² of existing building area reused for production, warehousing and support functions. Because the building-to-site ratio is high, the engineering work focused on internal material flow, equipment clearances, dust collection, truck access and separating raw-material movement from finished-feed handling instead of expanding the site footprint.

• Capacity: 30–35 tons/hour plant-wide
• Annual Output: 150,000 tons/year
• Plant Area: 18,196.3 m²
• Building Area: 17,480 m²
• Working Days: 300 days/year
• Shift System: 2 shifts/day, 8 hours/shift
• Total Investment: USD 1.65 million fixed investment
• Equipment Cost: approx. USD 620,000

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How the Project Started

The customer operates through a dairy-farming cooperative in southern Chile. As herd numbers and milk-output targets increased, the cooperative needed more direct control over feed quality, formula changes and delivery timing. Purchasing all compound feed externally made it harder to adjust rations by production group and increased exposure to transport delays during periods of higher seasonal demand.

During the first inquiry in March 2025, the customer compared continued external purchasing with investment in a fully automatic cattle feed plant. The decision depended on whether the existing site could accommodate automated batching, micro-ingredient handling, grinding, mixing and a pellet branch without requiring a completely new factory building.

The main production and investment concerns were:

• Feed consistency varied between outside suppliers and delivery batches
• Long-distance finished-feed transport added cost and reduced scheduling flexibility
• Moisture and physical quality needed tighter control for storage and bulk handling
• High-yield cows, heifers and transition groups required more precise formulation control

By May 2025, the formulation program, existing-building constraints and main material routes had been reviewed in enough detail to confirm the project. The final concept used common receiving, grinding, batching and mixing sections for the complete feed program, followed by separate finished-product routes for mash or concentrate feed and for formulas requiring pelleting.

The equipment and engineering contract was signed in July 2025, after the customer confirmed the existing-site renovation scope and the two-shift production schedule.

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Capacity Logic and Product Routing

Unlike a single-product cattle feed production line, this factory has to handle different physical ingredient forms and multiple finished-feed routes while maintaining one common batching and mixing system. The 150,000 T/Y annual target also requires the plant-wide system to average about 31.25 T/H over 4,800 scheduled operating hours, so capacity is treated at the factory level rather than by the rating of one pellet mill.

• Granular corn, protein meals, powders, minerals and specialty additives with different flow behavior
• High soybean-meal and rapeseed-meal inclusion requiring stable grinding, bin flow and batching
• A dedicated pellet branch for formulas requiring 4–6 mm pellets, without forcing all output through pelleting
• Existing workshop height and floor layout limiting the use of a conventional tall feed-mill tower

Commissioning focus:
The commissioning plan centered on routing logic as much as on individual machine performance. Mash or concentrate formulas needed a direct route from mixing to finished-product handling, while pelleted formulas required stable steam conditioning, controlled feed to the SZLH508 and adequate cooling before storage.

During startup, steam addition and conditioning time were tuned for the pelleted formulas until moisture distribution and pellet durability became repeatable. This adjustment did not affect the mash route, which allowed production scheduling to remain flexible while the pellet branch was being optimized.

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Raw Materials and Annual Consumption

The formula system is centered on corn and protein meals, with premix, minerals, buffers and specialty additives supplied through dedicated small-ingredient handling. Corn is the largest single ingredient by annual volume, while soybean meal and rapeseed meal provide most of the listed protein-meal fraction. All major ingredients arrive by truck and are received according to their physical form and storage requirements. Granular corn needs reliable cleaning and grinding, protein meals need steady bin discharge without bridging, and fine mineral powders require more controlled feeding so they do not segregate from the bulk ingredients. This is why the project separates large-ingredient batching from the eight-bin premix and micro-ingredient section instead of feeding every material through one common hopper.

The annual ingredient schedule totals 150,000 tons and supports several dairy-cattle formulas rather than one fixed ration. High-yield cow feed places greater emphasis on energy density and protein balance, while heifer and transition-period formulas use different mineral, buffer and specialty-additive levels. The eight-bin premix section and separate batching scale help the plant change formulas without treating low-inclusion ingredients like bulk grain. Formula sequencing is also important for production efficiency: products with similar ingredient structures can be scheduled together, while recipes with significantly different mineral or additive levels can be separated by cleaning or flush batches. That reduces cross-contact risk and avoids unnecessary downtime between short production campaigns.

Main Raw Materials

Material	Form	Annual Consumption (t/year)	Transport
Corn	Granular	88,950	Truck
Rapeseed Meal	Block	13,950	Truck
Soybean Meal	Block	36,000	Truck
Premix	Powder	1,800	Truck
Salt	Granular	1,200	Truck
Limestone Powder	Powder	1,800	Truck
Sodium Bicarbonate	Powder	2,700	Truck
Mycotoxin Binder	Granular	450	Truck
Magnesium Oxide	Powder	900	Truck
Fat Powder	Powder	2,250	Truck

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Utilities and Steam Demand

Resource	Annual Usage
Water	674 tons
Electricity	960,000 kWh
LPG (for steam)	20,800 Nm³

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Equipment Configuration

The cattle feed mill equipment package is divided into receiving and cleaning, grinding, premix handling, main batching and mixing, pelleting, finished-product handling and steam generation. The two grinding machines, two main batching scales and two main double-shaft mixers support the 30–35 T/H plant-wide production requirement, while the single SZLH508 serves the pellet branch for selected dairy-feed formulas. Equipment selection was therefore based on section duty rather than one headline throughput number. Receiving and mixing must support the full annual program, while the cooler, screen and steam system only need to match the share of formulas that actually enter the pellet route. This avoids oversizing the entire factory around the pellet branch and keeps power, steam and maintenance requirements closer to the customer’s real product mix.

Main Equipment List

1. Raw Material Receiving & Cleaning

• Feeding hoppers ×2
• Primary cleaner ×1
• Magnetic separator ×1
• Bucket elevators ×2
• Scraper conveyors ×3
• Dust collectors ×multiple

2. Grinding Section

• Fine grinding machines ×2
• Grinding bins ×4
• Air system + fans ×2
• Pulse dust collectors ×2

3. Premix & Micro-ingredient Section

• Premix bins ×8
• Batching scale ×1
• Double-shaft mixer ×1

4. Batching & Mixing

• Large batching bins sized for the plant-wide formula program
• Batching scales ×2
• Double-shaft mixers ×2

5. Pelleting Section

• SZLH508 cattle feed pellet machine ×1
• Conditioner + steam system
• Counterflow cooler ×1
• Rotary screener ×1

6. Packing Section

• Automatic packing scale ×1
• Sewing conveyor system ×1
• Bulk storage silos

7. Steam System

• LPG steam generator ×1
• Burners ×3
• Water pumps and controls

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Process Flow for Mash and Pellet Dairy Feed

This cattle feed manufacturing plant uses a common front end and separates product routes after mixing. The arrangement allows the same receiving, cleaning, grinding and batching infrastructure to support mash, concentrate and pelleted dairy feeds. It also prevents the rating of the pellet mill from becoming the rated capacity of the entire factory. The common front end is important for a cooperative producing several dairy formulas because the same corn and protein-meal storage can serve multiple products while the control system changes batch proportions by recipe. After mixing, route selection determines whether the batch moves directly to finished-feed storage or continues to the conditioning and pelleting section. This keeps the plant flexible without duplicating the entire upstream process for each feed form.

Step-by-step Flow

1. Raw Material Intake
   • Corn, soybean meal and rapeseed meal are received through the intake system according to delivery schedule and storage availability
   • Local dust extraction operates at receiving points to control grain and meal dust during unloading
2. Cleaning
   • Bulk ingredients pass through primary cleaning before entering downstream storage and processing
   • Magnetic separation removes ferrous contamination before grinding and conveying equipment
3. Grinding
   • The two grinding lines prepare corn and other ingredients to the particle-size range required by each dairy formula
   • Grinding settings balance mixing uniformity, animal-feed requirements and pellet quality without unnecessary overgrinding
4. Batching
   • Major ingredients are weighed through the main batching system according to the selected formula
   • Premix, minerals, sodium bicarbonate and other low-inclusion materials use the dedicated small-ingredient route
5. Mixing
   • The two main double-shaft mixers provide the common 30–35 T/H mixing stage for the complete product program
   • After mixing, mash or concentrate formulas can move directly toward bulk storage or packing, while pellet formulas are diverted to the pellet branch
6. Conditioning
   • Steam is introduced only for formulas scheduled for pelleting, with temperature adjusted to the ingredient matrix and pellet-quality target
   • Conditioning time, moisture and temperature are controlled together so the pellet mill receives a stable conditioned meal
7. Pelleting
   • Conditioned feed enters the SZLH508 and is compressed through the selected ring die
   • Dairy feed pellets are normally produced around 4–6 mm, depending on the customer formula and feeding program
8. Cooling
   • Pellets enter the counterflow cooler immediately after the press to remove retained heat and moisture
   • Cooling stabilizes pellet structure before screening, storage and bagging
9. Screening
   • Screening removes loose fines, with suitable material returned to the pellet-production route
10. Packing

• Finished mash, concentrate or cooled pellets are directed to bulk storage or the automatic packing and sewing system according to the sales order

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Existing-Site Layout and Building Use

Reusing the existing 17,480 m² building area reduced the need for new factory construction, but it imposed several layout constraints that had to be resolved before equipment installation. The available floor area was substantial, yet much of it was already committed to warehousing, truck movement and retained structures. The design therefore had to make practical use of existing columns, floor levels and roof clearances while still leaving access for maintenance, forklift traffic and emergency routes. Conveying distance was kept under control because long horizontal transfers would have increased power use and created more dust-release points:

• Available ceiling height limited the use of a conventional multi-floor vertical feed-mill arrangement
• Existing warehouse and production zones had to remain usable within the 18,196.3 m² site
• Raw-material, premix and finished-feed routes had to minimize cross-contact and vehicle conflicts

The completed layout uses the following engineering approach:

• A combined vertical and horizontal conveying layout compatible with the existing roof height
• Separated receiving, premix, processing and finished-feed zones within the retained building shell
• Short transfer routes between grinding, batching, mixing and finished-product branches to reduce unnecessary conveying and simplify maintenance

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Shipping & Logistics

The main equipment package was shipped from Qingdao Port in China to the Chilean port listed below. For an existing-site upgrade, shipping sequence matters because large machines, structural steel, electrical cabinets, ducting and conveyors cannot all be installed at once. The packing plan therefore separated major processing equipment from smaller accessories and control components so the local installation team could unload and stage each group in the order required by the civil and mechanical schedule:

• Port of San Antonio, Chile

After arrival at the Port of San Antonio, inland transport to the southern Chile project site was arranged by the customer. Shipment planning was coordinated with the installation sequence so major machines, structural items, electrical components and dust-control equipment could be unloaded in the order required for an existing-site retrofit.

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Completed Project Investment

The completed project fixed investment is approximately US$1.65 million. About US$620,000 of that amount is assigned to the main process-equipment package, while the remaining investment covers the substantial local work required to convert an existing property into a 150,000 T/Y automated dairy-feed factory. Because the customer reused its workshop and warehouse, the investment is not comparable with a completely new greenfield feed mill of the same annual capacity. A large share of the non-equipment budget went into foundations, structural adaptation, electrical distribution, automation interfaces, utilities, dust control, installation and internal logistics changes needed to fit the new production system into the retained buildings.

The fixed-investment scope includes:

• Main receiving, grinding, batching, mixing, pellet, cooling, packing and conveying equipment
• Existing-building renovation, foundations, equipment supports and internal traffic adjustments
• Electrical distribution, automation, LPG steam generation, utilities, dust control and safety systems
• International freight, inland delivery, installation, commissioning and the completed mash/concentrate/pellet routing system

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Operation and Quality Control

A factory of this scale depends on repeatable batching and routing rather than on running every machine continuously at its maximum nameplate capacity. The control system must coordinate two grinding lines, multiple batching routes, two mixers and the pellet branch while keeping production records tied to each dairy formula. Operators need to know which bins are assigned to each ingredient, which formula is active, whether the batch will leave as mash or enter pelleting, and whether the downstream storage destination is available before discharge begins. This sequence control reduces mix-ups and helps the plant maintain production rhythm during two-shift operation.

Quality control starts at receiving with ingredient identification, moisture and contamination checks, then continues through batching accuracy, mixer performance and finished-feed inspection. For pelleted products, conditioning stability, pellet diameter, fines and cooler discharge condition are checked before the product enters storage. The plant also needs routine scale verification, mixer inspection and bin-cleaning records because a technically correct formula can still be compromised by weighing drift, residue buildup or incorrect material routing. Keeping these checks close to normal production tasks is more practical than relying on end-product testing alone.

The two-shift schedule also requires planned maintenance rather than repair-only maintenance. Grinding screens and hammers, mixer seals, conveyor chains, filter bags, pellet-mill die and rollers, cooler airflow and electrical protection are included in the preventive-maintenance routine.

The plant can continue producing mash or concentrate feed during certain pellet-branch maintenance windows, which gives the cooperative more operational flexibility than a factory in which every product must pass through one pellet mill.

This product-routing flexibility is one of the main reasons the existing-site upgrade can support 150,000 T/Y without requiring the pellet section itself to equal the full plant-wide throughput.

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RICHI Scope and Project Takeaways

RICHI’s scope for the Chile project covered process configuration, equipment selection, existing-building layout, receiving and grinding design, major and micro batching, mixing, the pellet branch, dust control, electrical integration, installation guidance and commissioning support. The engineering work was centered on making the existing site operate as one coordinated factory rather than as a collection of independent machines. That included defining which formulas bypass the pellet section, how micro ingredients enter the main mix, where dust extraction is required, how finished mash and pellets are separated, and how the two-shift production schedule can continue when one section is stopped for routine maintenance. Operator training also focused on formula changeover, batching checks, pellet-branch startup and shutdown, and preventive inspection of the grinders, mixers, pellet mill and aspiration system.

For anyone considering a cattle feed plant project, the useful starting point is not only the target T/H. Annual tonnage, working hours, the percentage of output sold as mash or concentrate, the percentage that actually requires pelleting, ingredient forms, existing building height, storage days and bulk-versus-bagged dispatch all change the correct equipment configuration.

In this project, 150,000 T/Y over 300 working days and two 8-hour shifts requires about 31.25 T/H of average plant-wide output. Treating the factory as a 30–35 T/H batching and mixing system with a dedicated pellet branch is therefore more technically consistent than describing one pellet machine as the capacity of the entire factory. The same distinction matters when estimating utilities and investment: electricity, steam, cooler capacity and pellet-mill wear depend on how much of the annual production is actually pelleted, while receiving, batching and mixing must be sized for the total feed program. Separating those two capacity levels gives a buyer a more useful basis for comparing equipment and operating cost.

The completed Chile project shows how an existing industrial property can be restructured for large dairy-feed production when process capacity, product form, utilities, storage and building limitations are evaluated together.