Industrial Tilapia Feed Mill in Philippines

RICHI MACHINERY

overview

The 10-15t/h industrial tilapia feed mill in Philippines was not built from zero. It was rebuilt—on top of an existing factory that had structure, but lacked process stability. After the upgrade, this tilapia feed pellet plant now operates with one pellet production line and two extrusion lines, delivering a total annual output of 100,000 tons.

What matters more than capacity here is consistency. The client had equipment before, but feed quality varied too much. After this upgrade, the system runs smoother, with fewer manual adjustments and much tighter control over particle size and moisture.

Before getting into details, here’s how the project stands today:

Annual Output: 100,000 tons
Production Lines:
- 1 × pellet feed production line (40,000 t/year)
- 2 × extruded feed production lines (60,000 t/year)
Working System: 3 shifts × 8 hours × 300 days
Total Workforce: 40 people

The animal feed production plant sits on an existing industrial site. No new buildings were added—everything had to be fitted into what was already there.

10-15T/H

capacity

$970,000

investment

Philippines

location

Feed

project type

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Why This Project Was Started

The client operates a tilapia farming business in the Philippines. Over the past few years, local aquaculture demand increased steadily, but feed supply didn’t keep up.

At one point:

External feed purchase costs were rising
Feed quality from suppliers was inconsistent
Profit margins were shrinking

So instead of expanding farming first, they decided to fix feed supply.

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Timeline That Reflects Real Progress

Stage	Time
Initial Inquiry	February 2024
Technical Discussion	March–April 2024
Contract Signing	May 2024
Equipment Production	June–September 2024
Shipment (Qingdao → Manila Port)	October 2024
Installation & Commissioning	November 2024 – January 2025
First Stable Production	February 2025

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Raw Materials

In the Philippines, feed formulation is strongly influenced by imported protein sources and local grain by-products. The client uses a mixed formulation approach.

Before designing the system, we checked not only composition—but also variability.

Raw Material	Annual Usage (tons)	Transport & Storage
Soybean Meal	25,000	Bagged, truck
Rapeseed Meal	30,000	Bagged, truck
Wheat	20,000	Bagged
Fish Meal	5,000	Imported
DDGS	8,000	Bagged
Rice Bran	9,000	Local
Other Additives	3,000	Purchased
Electricity	80,000 kWh	Grid
Packaging Bags	200,000 pcs	Purchased

One thing we noticed during testing: DDGS moisture varied batch to batch. That’s why the second mixing stage includes liquid adjustment capability.

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Product Plan

Product	Output
Tilapia Pellet Feed	40,000 tons/year
Tilapia Extruded Feed	60,000 tons/year

Pellet feed is still widely used locally, while extruded feed is preferred for higher-end farming operations.

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Equipment Configuration

Instead of listing models, it’s more useful to understand how the system is organized:

Section	Equipment
Receiving	Initial cleaner, magnetic separator
Conveying	Elevators, conveyors
Grinding	Hammer mill feed grinders, ultra-fine grinders
Batching	Automatic batching scales
Mixing	High-speed mixers
Pellet Line	Animal feed pellet mill, conditioner, cooler
Extrusion Line	Twin screw extruder, fish feed dryer machine, coating system
Screening	Rotary screens
Packing	Bagging system
Utilities	Boilers, air compressor, dust collectors

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Full Production Process

1. Pellet Feed Production Process (Complete Version)

This fish feed production line follows a two-stage grinding + two-stage mixing + pelleting system, which is standard for high-quality aquafeed.

Step-by-Step Flow:

Raw Material Intake
- Materials include powder and granular types
- Powder materials: directly conveyed
- Granular materials: require pre-crushing
- Equipment used: scraper conveyor → bucket elevator
Primary Cleaning & Magnetic Separation
- Cylindrical initial screen removes large impurities
- Permanent magnetic drum removes metal contaminants
Coarse Grinding (Only for Granular Materials)
- Materials enter temporary storage bin
- Then pass through coarse grinding system
- Purpose:
  - Reduce particle size variation
  - Improve efficiency of ultra-fine grinding
  - Stabilize final feed quality
First Batching & Mixing
- Large proportion raw materials are weighed
- Electronic batching system used
- Mixed in first-stage mixer
- Function:
  - Pre-homogenization
  - Reduce variation before fine grinding
Fine Grinding (Secondary Grinding)
- Mixed material enters grinding bin
- Processed through fine grinder
- Followed by rotary grading screen
- Removes fiber fluff formed during grinding
Second Batching & Mixing
- Precise formulation stage
- Micro-additives added manually via feeding port
- Two liquid addition systems:
  - Oil addition
  - Molasses addition
- Mixing requirement:
  - CV (coefficient of variation) < 5%
Conditioning & Pelleting
- Steam or water added
- Material conditioned before pelleting
- Ring die feed pellet machine compresses into cylindrical pellets
- Steam enhances:
  - Gelatinization
  - Binding strength
  - Feed digestibility
Cooling
- Air cooling system reduces temperature
- Stabilizes pellet structure
Screening & Recirculation System
- Two-layer grading screen:
  - Upper layer oversize → returned to crusher
  - Lower layer fines → returned to extrusion bin or reprocessing
  - Middle layer → final product
Packaging

Automatic weighing and bagging

Warehousing

Finished products stored and recorded

2. Extruded Feed Production Process

Compared to pellet feed, this process includes high-temperature extrusion and drying, which directly affects feed performance.

Step-by-Step Flow:

Raw Material Intake
- Same classification: powder vs granular
- Powder bypasses coarse grinding
- Granular goes through pre-crushing
Cleaning & Magnetic Separation
- Removes impurities and metal
First Batching & Mixing
- Large-scale raw material blending
- Prepares for fine grinding
Fine Grinding
- Ultra-fine grinding required
- Improves digestibility for aquatic animals
Second Mixing
- Micro additives manually added
- Two liquid systems:
  - Oil
  - Water
- Mixing uniformity: CV < 5%
Conditioning & Extrusion
- High temperature, high pressure, high moisture
- Physical changes:
  - Starch gelatinization
  - Protein denaturation
- Instant pressure release → expansion
- Result:
  - Floating feed
  - Better digestibility
  - Reduced feed waste
Drying
- Moisture reduced from 25–30% → ~13%
- Prevents breakage and mold
Coating / Spraying
- External coating system
- Adds:
  - Oils
  - Vitamins
  - Flavoring agents
- Improves palatability and energy density
Cooling
- Air cooling stabilizes pellets
Screening & Recirculation

Oversize → re-crushed
Fines → returned to extrusion stage
Qualified product → packaging

Packaging & Storage

Bagging and warehouse storage

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Utilities & Supporting Systems

Water Supply: Municipal
Steam Supply: Biomass boilers (2t/h & 4t/h)
Power: Grid electricity
Wastewater: Only domestic sewage

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Investment Overview

Item	Cost
Equipment Cost	~$970,000
Total Investment	~$1,200,000

Given the capacity, this is a cost-efficient upgrade animal feed processing plant project.

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A Few Practical Observations from Commissioning

During the first few production runs:

Moisture control in extrusion required adjustment
Operators initially struggled with mixing timing
After 3–5 days of tuning, production stabilized

One operator said something quite honest:
“The first few batches didn’t look right, but after adjustments, it became predictable.”

That’s usually how real plants behave.

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Market Outlook in Philippines

Tilapia farming continues to expand, especially in inland and coastal aquaculture zones. Feed demand is stable and growing.

For investors:

Pellet feed = lower cost, large volume market
Extruded feed = higher margin, premium segment

A combined animal feed pellet plant + extrusion fish feed production line setup like this offers flexibility.

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What We Actually Provide

This feed mill factory project wasn’t just about machines.

We handled:

Process design based on raw materials
Layout adaptation to existing buildings
Equipment manufacturing
Installation & commissioning
Operator training

Many clients come with one question:
“Can this really run smoothly after installation?”

That’s the real challenge—and also where experience shows.

If you’re planning a 10-15t/h industrial tilapia feed mill, it’s worth starting from your raw materials and market positioning first. The equipment comes after that.

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RICHI Service

● Consulting

Customer Consultation

We want to have a deep understanding of your industrial process, to know your exact needs of feed, wood, biomass, fertilizer or other pellet processing.

● Design

Feed mill Plant Design

Based on your unique situation and industrial process, we will tailor complete pellet plant you need, and inform you of every additional detail that could facilitate operation, minimize total cost.

● Manufacturing

Equipment Manufacturing

The critical components of the of the complete pellet production line equipment are built in our own workshops in Asia. Additional equipment is manufactured by our worldwide network of reliable partners.

● Testing

Quality Inspection & Testing

Before leaving the factory, all equipment will be inspected by the quality inspection department. We can also provide customers with testing services from a single machine to a complete pellet plant system, and provide you with real actual data for “worry-free use.”

● Delivery

Equipment Delivery

In equipment boxing and packaging, we adopt professional packaging and modular solutions to ensure the safe and non-destructive delivery of pellet plant equipment.

● Installation

Installation & Commissioning

Whether you choose your own subcontractor for the erection phase or you want to install everything together with us, a Richi supervisor will be around to make sure everything is mounted in a safe and thorough way.

● Training

Staff Training

We provide comprehensive training for the technicians of each project. We can also continue to provide support for the technicians during latter project operation.

● After-sales

Project Follow-Up

When everything is up and running our Richiers will help you further whenever needed. We are ready to answer your call 24/7.We’ll also visit you regularly to learn about your needs.

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Who we are

RICHI Machinery is one of the world’s leading suppliers of technology and services for the animal feed, aqua feed and pet food industries, also the largest pellet production line manufacturer in China.

Since 1995, RICHI’s vision to build a first-class enterprise, to foster first-class employees, and to make first-class contributions to society has never wavered.

In the past three decades, we have expanded our business to a wide range of areas, including animal feed mill equipment, aqua feed equipment, pet feed equipment, biomass pellet equipment, fertilizer equipment, cat litter equipment, municipal solid waste pellets equipment, etc.