0086-138 3838 9622A French forage processor has completed a new round of material testing with RICHI Machinery using dried lucerne prepared for a planned pelletizing-section upgrade.
Unlike a turnkey greenfield project, the customer already operates forage receiving, bale handling, grinding and storage equipment. The current investment is focused on replacing an older pelletizing section and increasing the reliability of commercial lucerne pellet production.
The test used representative dried material rather than generic wood sawdust, allowing the customer to evaluate the machine against the fiber it expects to process every day.
Customer Arrives with a Specific Production Problem
The French company handles baled lucerne from contracted growers and processes it into forage products for livestock customers.
Its existing plant can already open and grind the bales. The bottleneck appears later: pellet output and operating stability no longer match the company’s production plan.
For that reason, the technical discussion quickly narrowed to the pelletizing section rather than expanding into equipment the customer does not need.
Material Brought for the Test
| Item | Test Basis |
|---|---|
| Main material | Dried lucerne |
| Material form | Ground forage after bale preparation |
| Target pellet | 6 mm forage pellet |
| Main application | Cattle and ruminant feeding |
| Project type | Existing plant upgrade |
| Proposed main machine | CZLH520 ring die pellet mill |
| Planned line scale | Approx. 2 t/h per pelletizing unit under suitable material conditions |
The CZLH520 is being evaluated because its normal application range is compatible with the customer’s intended upgrade scale. Final practical output will still depend on lucerne condition, die specification and operating parameters.
Six-Millimetre Product Matches the Customer’s Existing Market
The customer did not request a new pellet diameter merely because new equipment is being considered.
Its established buyers already use approximately 6 mm lucerne pellets, so maintaining product continuity is more important than creating another specification.
During testing, RICHI therefore paid attention to feeding behavior, pellet formation and the amount of loose material after forming.
The purpose was to determine whether the proposed alfalfa pellet mill for an existing forage plant could fit the customer’s commercial product rather than forcing the market to adapt to the machine.
Existing Equipment Will Be Retained Where It Still Works
The preliminary upgrade scope does not include a new bale breaker or complete forage dryer.
Those systems already exist at the French plant.
The proposed modification centers on:
- controlled buffer feeding before pelletizing;
- CZLH520 grass pellet mill;
- downstream pellet cooling;
- screening and fines return;
- connection with the customer’s existing bulk storage and bagging section.
This narrower equipment scope keeps investment focused on the actual bottleneck.
Bulk and 25 kg Sales Will Continue After the Upgrade
The customer’s forage products currently move through two commercial channels.
Larger livestock buyers can receive bulk product, while distributors and smaller farms use approximately 25 kg sacks.
The new pelletizing equipment therefore needs to integrate with both the existing bulk handling route and the customer’s current bagging equipment.
The material test gives the French processor a more useful basis for investment than a catalogue capacity alone. The next decision will be whether to proceed with the CZLH520-based retrofit after the customer reviews the test results and final plant interface plan.
