A modification has been made to an in-progress 1 t/h eel feed production line order for a client in Japan — at the buyer’s request, the steam conditioning system originally specified has been upgraded to a model with finer temperature control, before equipment fabrication was completed.

Eel feed (for Japanese eel, unagi, aquaculture — a long-established industry in parts of Japan, though increasingly facing supply pressures around wild-caught juvenile eel availability that affect the broader industry, separate from the feed production itself) is unusual among aquaculture feeds in that it’s often produced as a paste or dough-like product rather than dry pellets, at least for certain life stages — eel feed for larger juveniles and adults can be pelletized, but the formula and moisture content differ significantly from typical dry fish feed.

This particular order is for a pelletized formula targeting sub-adult to adult eel, with a formula built around fish meal (a high percentage — eel require a very high protein diet, often 45%+ crude protein), wheat flour, fish oil, and a vitamin premix.

The original steam conditioning system specified met RICHI’s standard parameters for fish feed of this protein level, but the buyer’s quality team — based on their experience with a previous (non-RICHI) line at another facility — requested a unit with more granular steam pressure adjustment, citing sensitivity in how the high fish meal content responds to even small variations in conditioning temperature, affecting pellet water stability in testing they’d conducted previously with samples.

RICHI’s engineering team reviewed the request and confirmed the upgraded conditioner model could be substituted without affecting the rest of the line’s configuration or the project timeline significantly — about a one-week delay to source the upgraded unit, which the buyer accepted given the potential quality benefit.

Fabrication is proceeding with the updated specification, and the revised delivery estimate has been communicated to the buyer — approximately 9 weeks from the modification date, compared to the original 8-week estimate.

An order has been placed for a small-scale, 2 t/h specialty poultry feed production line by a game bird breeding operation in southwestern France, focused on pheasant and partridge feed for both commercial release programs and gourmet poultry markets.

Specialty game bird feed differs from standard broiler or layer formulas in several ways — protein requirements tend to be higher, particularly during early growth stages, and some formulations include ingredients less commonly seen in mainstream poultry feed, such as insect meal (increasingly used in premium and specialty feed formulations across parts of Europe due to both nutritional profile and sustainability positioning).

The buyer’s formula for young pheasant starter feed includes a notably high protein percentage — over 28%, compared to typical broiler starter feed around 22-23% — achieved through a combination of fish meal, soybean meal, and a small percentage of dried insect meal (black soldier fly larvae meal, sourced from a European supplier).

Equipment for this line is modest in scale given the relatively small production volumes typical of specialty game bird operations: a hammer mill, batch mixer, pellet press (ring die, with a 2mm die for starter feed and a 3mm die available via die change for grower/finisher formulas), and pellet cooler. No conditioner is included — at this small scale and with this formula, the buyer’s nutritionist determined that conditioning wasn’t critical for pellet quality, keeping the equipment package simpler and reducing cost.

One thing flagged during the order process: the insect meal component has a notably different particle behavior in the hammer mill compared to standard feed ingredients — it’s more prone to clumping if not pre-screened. RICHI recommended the buyer pre-screen the insect meal before it enters the main grinding process, a simple manual step that avoids potential feed inconsistency without requiring additional equipment.

Production of the equipment is underway, with delivery anticipated within roughly 6 weeks given the relatively compact equipment list for this order.

Installation of a 5 t/h EFB (empty fruit bunch) pellet production line has been completed at a palm oil mill site in Malaysia’s Johor state, with the equipment now positioned and connected, ahead of commissioning scheduled for the coming weeks.

EFB is the fibrous residue left after palm fruit bunches have been stripped of their fruit during oil extraction — palm oil mills generate enormous volumes of this material, and on-site disposal (often composting or incineration) has increasingly given way to pelletizing as a way to create a sellable biomass fuel product, turning a disposal cost into a revenue stream.

EFB arrives extremely wet — often 60-65% moisture straight from the mill — and has a long, stringy fiber structure that needs significant pre-processing before it can be ground and pelletized. The line includes an EFB shredder (a heavy-duty unit designed to handle the tough fiber bundles), a hammer mill for further size reduction, a high-capacity dryer (sized larger relative to throughput than most biomass lines, given the starting moisture content), ring die pellet mill, and cooler.

Finished pellet target is 8mm, intended for sale to industrial users for boiler fuel — there’s established regional demand for EFB pellets, including from cement plants and other palm oil mills that may supplement their own fiber waste fuel supply during periods of EFB shortage (similar to the bamboo pellet situation mentioned in a separate Indonesian project).

A notable aspect of this installation: because the palm oil mill operates continuously and EFB is generated as a constant byproduct stream, the buyer requested the pellet line’s receiving and storage capacity be sized to handle at least 18 hours of EFB accumulation in case the pellet line itself needs downtime for maintenance — without that buffer, EFB would simply pile up faster than it could be processed during any stoppage.

Commissioning is expected to begin within the next two to three weeks, once the mill’s own EFB handling conveyors (which connect to RICHI’s receiving system) complete their final integration testing.

Trial production has begun on a 1 t/h pet food extrusion line installed at a specialty pet treat manufacturer’s facility in South Korea, with the first test batches produced this week showing promising initial results according to the buyer’s quality team.

This particular line is somewhat smaller and more specialized than RICHI’s typical pet food orders — the buyer focuses on premium dental chew treats and semi-moist treats rather than standard kibble, which changes both the formula and the extrusion process parameters considerably.

The formula for the dental chew line includes a higher starch content than standard dog food (starch gelatinization during extrusion is what gives dental chews their characteristic texture — dense enough to provide chewing resistance but not so hard as to risk tooth damage), along with a protein component (chicken meal in this case) and a small percentage of mint flavoring added post-extrusion via a coating drum.

Equipment includes a single-screw extruder configured for the higher-starch formula (different screw configuration than a standard kibble extruder — the compression profile needs adjustment to achieve proper gelatinization without over-expanding the product, since dental chews should be dense rather than puffy), a drying oven, and the flavor coating drum mentioned above.

During trial batches this week, the team tested several screw speed and temperature combinations — the buyer’s R&D staff worked alongside RICHI’s commissioning engineer to dial in a profile that produces the target texture, described by the buyer as needing to be “firm enough to resist immediate breakage but with internal density that allows gradual wear during chewing.”

Results from the third trial batch were closest to target, according to initial feedback, though the buyer plans several more rounds of texture testing — including actual dog chewing trials with test animals — before finalizing production parameters. RICHI’s engineer remains available remotely for further parameter consultation as testing continues over the coming weeks.

A contract has been signed for a combined facility in Tanzania incorporating both a 6 t/h compound feed production line and a smaller premix production unit, intended to serve smallholder poultry and livestock farmers across the surrounding agricultural region.

This is a slightly different project structure than RICHI’s typical single-line orders — the buyer, a regional agricultural input distributor, wanted the capability to produce both finished compound feed (for direct sale to farmers) and concentrated premixes (vitamin-mineral concentrates that other smaller feed producers in the area can purchase and blend into their own formulas), within one facility footprint.

The compound feed line covers poultry and to some extent pig feed, given mixed livestock farming is common among the region’s smallholders — the buyer’s formulas will vary based on what raw materials are seasonally available locally, which in Tanzania can include maize, sunflower seed cake (a byproduct of local sunflower oil pressing, similar in concept to the Argentina sunflower husk situation but used as a protein-fiber feed ingredient rather than fuel), and various local protein sources.

The premix unit operates at much smaller batch sizes — measured in hundreds of kilograms per batch rather than tons per hour — and requires more precise dosing equipment, since premix formulations involve micro-ingredients (vitamins, trace minerals) that need accurate weighing down to gram-level precision.

Equipment for the compound feed line follows a fairly standard configuration: hammer mill, batch mixer, pellet press (ring die, 3-4mm adjustable via die change for different feed types), and cooler. The premix unit includes a smaller precision mixer with a separate micro-ingredient dosing system.

Given the dual-purpose nature of the facility and the buyer’s plan to phase production startup — compound feed first, premix capability added a few months later — RICHI’s delivery schedule has been structured in two phases, with the compound feed equipment shipping first and premix equipment following roughly two months later. Contract terms reflect this phased delivery and payment structure.

A coconut shell pellet production line operating at a facility in Sri Lanka’s coastal coconut-growing region has reached a production milestone, with cumulative output crossing a notable threshold since commissioning earlier this year — the 4 t/h line has been running at close to full capacity for several consecutive weeks.

Coconut shell is dense, hard, and the resulting pellets have a notably high calorific value — higher than most wood pellets, which makes coconut shell pellets attractive for industrial heating applications where energy density per kilogram matters for transport economics, particularly for export markets.

The grinding stage for coconut shell required somewhat heavier-duty equipment than a typical wood waste line of similar capacity — shell fragments are abrasive and the hammer mill’s screen and hammers see faster wear, something the buyer was made aware of during the proposal stage so spare parts could be budgeted accordingly from the start.

No dryer is included in this configuration — coconut shell, especially after the husk and fiber have been removed for other uses (coir production is a major parallel industry here), arrives at a moisture content low enough that drying isn’t necessary, generally under 12%.

Finished pellets are 6mm diameter, sold primarily to industrial users — a textile dyeing facility in the region uses the pellets as boiler fuel, having switched from a mix of firewood and lower-grade biomass previously.

The buyer reported that die wear has been within expected ranges based on RICHI’s projections at the proposal stage, and a spare die was already on hand locally when the first replacement was needed — avoiding any production interruption.

Equipment specifications have been finalized for a 9 t/h sheep manure organic fertilizer pellet line headed to a livestock processing zone in Mongolia, following several rounds of revisions based on local conditions.

Sheep herding operates at enormous scale across Mongolia, and manure collection from semi-permanent grazing camps has typically meant the material arrives at any central processing point already quite dry — sometimes below 30% moisture, which is unusually low for manure-based fertilizer feedstock and actually changes the equipment requirements compared to, say, a dairy operation’s wet manure.

Lower incoming moisture means less drying capacity is needed, but it also means the granulator needs supplemental water addition during the mixing stage to achieve proper granule formation — too dry, and the material won’t bind into pellets at all, it just stays as loose crumbs.

The finalized equipment list: pre-crusher for breaking up dried manure clumps, mixer with a water spray system for moisture adjustment, drum granulator, a smaller dryer than typical for this capacity (given the lower moisture starting point), cooler, and screening with returns.

Pellet size is 4mm, formulated with a small percentage of humic acid additive — sourced by the buyer from a domestic supplier — to improve soil conditioning properties for the region’s grassland and limited crop areas.

One revision during the spec finalization process: the original proposal included a rotary dryer sized for 55-60% moisture input, standard for most manure fertilizer lines RICHI builds. After the buyer provided actual moisture test data from collected samples (averaging 28%), RICHI’s team reduced the dryer size by roughly 40% and added the water spray system to the mixer instead — resulting in lower equipment cost and energy consumption for the buyer, better suited to the actual feedstock.

Manufacturing will begin once the buyer confirms the additive specification documentation, expected within the next week or so.

Delivery has been completed for a 1.2 t/h floating tilapia feed production line at an aquaculture development zone in Nigeria’s Kwara State, with all major equipment now on-site and unloaded.

Tilapia farming has been expanding steadily across several West African countries, driven by growing domestic demand for affordable protein and government-backed aquaculture development initiatives. Feed availability and cost remain persistent challenges for smaller and mid-sized farms in the region — much of the feed has historically been imported, which adds significant cost.

This line produces floating extruded feed (tilapia are surface feeders, unlike shrimp or bottom-feeding species, so the pellet needs to float for an extended period — typically several hours minimum — rather than sink).

Equipment includes a hammer mill for grinding local feed ingredients (the buyer’s formula leans heavily on locally available materials — maize, soybean meal, and a fish meal component sourced regionally rather than imported, which keeps overall feed costs more manageable), a single-screw extruder (extrusion is essential for floating feed — the cooking process under pressure creates the expanded, air-pocket structure that gives pellets buoyancy), drying system, and oil spraying/coating equipment for adding fat content post-drying.

Pellet sizes range from 2mm to 4mm depending on fish growth stage, and the extruder’s die can be swapped to accommodate different sizes as the farm’s stock matures through different feeding phases.

Local conditions add some complexity here — power supply reliability in the region isn’t always consistent, so the buyer specified equipment configured to handle voltage fluctuations within a wider tolerance band than RICHI’s standard spec, and a generator backup system (sourced locally by the buyer, not part of RICHI’s equipment scope) will run alongside grid power.

Installation is set to begin in the coming weeks, pending completion of the buyer’s electrical infrastructure work.

The 6 t/h sunflower husk pellet plant RICHI Machinery has been constructing for a client in Argentina’s Pampas region has reached the final pre-commissioning stage — equipment installation is complete, and dry-run testing (without raw material) began this week.

Argentina is one of the world’s larger sunflower seed producers, and the husk byproduct from sunflower oil extraction has historically been underutilized — much of it ends up as low-value bulk material or disposed of. Pelletizing turns it into a transportable, higher-density fuel product suitable for industrial boilers.

Sunflower husk has relatively low bulk density (lighter than most wood residues) and a moderate natural oil content remaining after pressing, which actually assists with pellet binding similar to what’s seen with other oilseed residues.

The line: husk receiving and metering system, hammer mill (sunflower husk needs less aggressive grinding than wood — it’s already fairly fine after the oil extraction process, so this stage mostly handles any larger fragments), ring die pellet mill, cooler, and bulk loading system for truck transport (the buyer isn’t bagging product — it’s sold in bulk to a regional industrial boiler operator under a supply agreement).

Pellet diameter target is 8mm. Dry-run testing this week focuses on conveyor alignment, pellet mill motor load testing under no-load conditions, and verifying the cooler’s airflow rates against design specifications before introducing actual husk material.

Once dry-run testing clears — expected to take about three to four days — the first material test runs will begin, with RICHI’s commissioning engineer present to calibrate the pellet mill’s die gap and roller settings against the actual husk characteristics, which can vary somewhat depending on the sunflower variety processed at the source oil mill.

A 2.5 t/h activated carbon pellet production line has departed for an industrial filtration media manufacturer located in the Gujarat region of India, with the shipment confirmed as loaded this week.

Activated carbon pelletizing sits a bit outside the usual biomass-and-feed conversation, but the core pelletizing technology shares similarities — what’s different is the raw material handling. The buyer’s process starts with powdered activated carbon (derived from coconut shell carbon in this case, which is widely available in the region given coconut shell charcoal production is already an established industry there).

The line includes a mixer where the activated carbon powder is blended with a binder — typically a small percentage of coal tar pitch or a similar binding agent, though the exact binder formula is the buyer’s own proprietary mix — followed by an extrusion-type pellet press rather than the ring die compression pelletizers used for biomass or feed. Activated carbon pellets are typically cylindrical extrudates rather than compressed pellets, and the die design reflects that.

After extrusion comes a drying stage (the binder needs to cure/dry without the carbon losing its porous structure — too aggressive drying can actually damage the activated carbon’s adsorption properties, which is the opposite problem from most pelletizing applications where you want fast, thorough drying).

Pellet diameter is 4mm, intended for water filtration cartridge applications — a growing market in India given increasing attention to water treatment infrastructure in both municipal and industrial sectors.

RICHI’s role in this project was primarily equipment supply with process guidance on the mechanical handling stages — the activated carbon activation process itself (the actual carbon production) was already established at the buyer’s facility; this line addresses only the pelletizing/shaping step downstream of that.

Shipping is expected to take approximately 3 weeks via sea freight to Mumbai port, followed by inland transport to the Gujarat facility.