Australian manufacturer Enmach offers silos with competitive durability and a 20-year lifespan, but they’re not made of steel.
Australia is a land of extremes, with temperatures ranging from highs of more than 40°C to below freezing. According to Geoscience Australia, sometimes these can be experienced on the same day.
In addition, Australia’s sunlight is some of the harshest in the world. The Bureau of Meteorology says ultraviolet (UV) light exposure and rates of skin cancer in Australia are some of the highest on the planet.
With such a hostile climate, Enmach has designed its outdoor bulk handling products to use polyethylene instead of steel, aluminium or fibreglass.
Jon Bowder, Director of Enmach, says the Bundaberg-based company reinvents products made from traditional materials to extend their lifespans.
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“Enmachs’ poly products are lighter, have some of the world’s best UV protection ratings, resist rust, and have compounded colour that won’t fade or scratch off,” he says.
The company has been in operation for 30 years and offers silos in capacities from one tonne to 50 tonnes or 1.7 cubic metres to 60 cubic metres. These are suitable for bulk storage of a variety of products and can be used in any industry, from mining to farming, water clarification to breweries, fertiliser to coffee bean storage.
Because of their construction, poly silos are lighter, resist rust and have some of the world’s best UV protection ratings. They are also typically deigned to be 10 to 30 millimetres thicker than the equivalent steel structures.
This additional thickness gives poly silos an advantage when compared with steel, according to Bowder, as it helps to keep material cooler during the day while making temperature changes at nightfall occur at a more gradual pace.
“All silos heat up during the day and then on nightfall the outer steel skin of a steel silo cools rapidly,” he says.
“The insulation properties of polyethylene keep your material
cooler resulting in reduced incidence of sweating.”
Another issue that affects steel silos is rust. Poly silos remove the threat of degeneration and are highly corrosion resistant. The poly silo sits in a galvanised steel frame with a stainless-steel knife gate at the outlet of the silo. Any bolts through the silo wall are all constructed from stainless steel to further enhance its rust and corrosion resistance.
To give customers peace of mind, Enmach offers a 10-year warranty on its poly silos and will deliver and install them Australia wide. Enmach maintains a national fleet of trained drivers with crane-equipped trucks who can erect and bolt down a silo within hours. It also offers a full custom manufacturing service for polyethylene-molded and steel-fabricated products.
Bowder says Enmach combines innovation and durability with a highly equipped, in-house research and development department and a focus on service.