Aerobelt Australia has made extensive investments into the United States across the past five years.
The company began exporting its unique conveyor systems to the regions, specifically targeting the rice industry.
Aerobelt’s agent in the US was Premier Tech Prairie, part of the Premier Tech Systems and Automation Group based in Johnstone, Iowa.
The company has supplied six conveyors to Kennedy Rice in Louisiana, which include a 400-millimetre-wide belt and five 500-millimetre-wide belts for 50 tonnes per hour and 100 tonnes per hour of food grade rice. Lengths vary from 16 metres to 48 metres long.
The 400-millimetre conveyor was shipped in mid-2020, followed by the 500-millimetre conveyors later in the year.
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The conveyors all performed as per the design and faced no operational issues.
Aerobelt has also delivered two 400-millimetre conveyors to Farmers’ Rice Cooperative based in Sacramento, California.
The first conveyor has been installed, with the second planned for installation in 2023.
The conveyors replace an existing conventional roller conveyor with Aerobelt’s air plenum-based technology.
Steve Hartshorn, who is Aerobelt’s contact that helped supply the conveyors has now launched his own company, Dependable Conveyor Systems.
Aerobelt will work alongside Dependable Conveyor Systems for all its future endeavours in the Americas.