World Grain - April 2023 - 38

to set, " said Johnny Wheat, president
of 4B Components Ltd. USA.
" It's very simple and elegant. "
Another feature is the graphic
user interface that visually shows
an operator what is happening with
the encoder, he said.
" It's a unique product and we've
gotten a lot of interest on the trade
show floor, " Wheat said. " There's
about a 100 of these in the field, being
tested for the last 12 months in
various applications from gate position
to distributor position and even
very slow speed moving shafts. "
Wheat said the show was fantastic
and featured a mix of people
Chief
Agri's team
showcased its
new roof line
featuring a
4-inch
V-rib panel.
dent, North America commercial for AGI. " The customers
we are talking to, they have a lot more projects
on their plate than we might have anticipated. "
AGI had a model bucket elevator on the floor outfitted
with CMC hazard monitoring equipment and sensors that
measure temperature. Monitoring temperature provides
feedback on potential problems with bearings and belts.
" A bearing getting hot means it's not lubricated
enough, or maybe there's metal to metal contact starting
to occur, " he said. " If it's happening perpetually,
then maybe the PM schedule is too infrequent.
" What we're doing with this mini-display is tying
into the overall theme of GEAPS, which is safety and
maintenance. We all know safety is something we can
do better on, whether for us as a manufacturer but also
safety for our customers. "
AGI has collected a lot of brands through the years,
including CMC in 2018, and now the company is going
through an integration process.
" Our customers are telling us they see a lot of value in
that, bringing together all these different parts of AGI,
from the different equipment we make to the engineering
services, " he said. " We can put things together so
we can offer better pricing, but really, it's the service.
They'll deal with one person, one project manager, for
all the different products. "
Many exhibitors used the opportunity to further explain
and provide hands-on demonstrations of their
newest technologies to the industry. 4B Components
Ltd. USA showcased its Encoder-Flex 1024 speed
switch sensor that is an entirely sealed unit made out of
stainless steel. It features three outputs and has the flexibility
to connect to multiple control systems, including
PLC, SCADA, Watchdog, IE-Node and more.
" The other unique feature about this encoder, because
it's totally sealed, we calibrate it with an exterior
magnet so there's no covers to remove, no special dials
38
they see year after year and new visitors as well. 4B
had a record year in 2022 and business remains strong.
Sensors like the Encoder-Flex 1024, along with other
4B systems, provide the data that will be key in implementing
predictive maintenance through the use of
Artificial Intelligence (AI) - an upcoming trend for the
grain industry.
" Our systems are collecting data all the time and they
can send it up to the cloud, " Wheat said. " So, all these
temperatures, vibrations, when the machine was run,
belt speeds - all that information is available and can
be interpreted by AI. These companies are going to get
this data and be able to give their facilities a lot more
accurate information. It's going to be a big thing. "
At its booth, Chief Agri introduced its new roof line
featuring a 4-inch V-rib panel.
" It has more capabilities when it comes to peak load
capacities and the type of equipment that we can support
with the bin, " said Travys Woodside, vice president,
international sales, Chief Agri. " We can support
more with less structure because of the nature of the
panel itself. "
Overall, business has been strong with volumes increasing
dramatically across the board, he said. Some
of the market segments that have been quiet for awhile
are starting to pick up. Mexico, South America and
Australia are doing well for Chief Agri.
Woodside also said the supply chain is improving,
and steel prices have settled down.
" We saw some stabilization in the steel market over
the last year but coming into 2023 we're already starting
to see indications of those prices starting to climb
again, " he said. " Hopefully we don't get into the same
cycle we did before. "
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April 2023 / World Grain / World-Grain.com
http://www.World-Grain.com
World Grain - April 2023

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