How a Vietnamese Feed Mill Boosted Swine Feed PDI from 82% to 94% with Hongyang SZLH420 Ring Die Pellet Mill

Executive Summary

A mid-size commercial feed mill in Dong Nai Province, Vietnam 鈥?serving approximately 120 pig farms across the Mekong Delta region 鈥?faced persistent quality issues in its swine feed pelleting line. The existing flat-die pelletizer produced pellets with a Pellet Durability Index (PDI) averaging only 82%, resulting in excessive fines (over 18%) that led to feed wastage and customer complaints. After upgrading to a Hongyang SZLH420 ring die pellet mill equipped with a dual-layer conditioner and a custom 1:8 compression ratio ring die, the mill achieved a PDI of 94%, reduced fines to under 5%, and increased throughput by 28% while lowering specific energy consumption by 12%.

1. Background: Vietnam’s Swine Feed Industry Context

Vietnam is the third-largest pork producer in Asia, with an annual pork output of approximately 3.8 million metric tons in 2024 [1]. The country’s commercial feed production reached 20.5 million metric tons in 2023, of which swine feed accounted for roughly 55%, or 11.3 million metric tons [2]. The Mekong Delta region alone contributes over 30% of Vietnam’s swine production, making it a critical market for feed milling equipment.

The rapid consolidation of smallholder farms into medium-to-large operations has driven demand for higher-quality pelleted feed. According to the Vietnam Feed Association (VFA), the share of pelleted feed in total swine feed rose from 62% in 2020 to 78% in 2024, driven by its advantages in feed conversion ratio (FCR), reduced dust, and better hygiene [3].

2. The Customer: Thang Long Nutrition JSC

Thang Long Nutrition JSC (a pseudonym for a real mid-tier feed producer operating in Dong Nai Province) operates a single-line feed mill with an annual capacity of 60,000 metric tons. The mill primarily produces grower and finisher swine feed (20-80 kg body weight stage) using a standard corn-soybean meal formulation with 10-12% added bran.

The company’s technical director, Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu, reported that the previous flat-die pelletizer 鈥?a locally manufactured unit 鈥?had been in service for over seven years and was increasingly unable to meet the quality expectations of modern pig farms. Key issues included:

3. The Solution: Hongyang SZLH420 Ring Die Pellet Mill

After evaluating proposals from three Chinese and one European equipment supplier, Thang Long selected the Hongyang SZLH420 ring die pellet mill. The decision was based on three factors: the machine’s proven track record in Southeast Asian feed mills, the competitive total cost of ownership, and Hongyang’s willingness to customize the ring die compression ratio for the specific formulation.

3.1 Key Technical Specifications

3.2 Why the SZLH420 Fitted This Application

The SZLH420′s dual-layer conditioner was critical for this application. Swine feed formulations with 10-12% bran content are notoriously difficult to pellet because bran contains high fiber and low starch, reducing natural binding capacity. The extended conditioning time (45-60 seconds versus 20-30 seconds on the previous flat-die unit) allowed for more thorough steam penetration and starch gelatinization, which directly improved pellet binding.

The customized 1:8 compression ratio ring die was selected based on Hongyang’s engineering team’s analysis of the client’s raw material profile. A standard 1:6 ratio would have produced softer pellets, while a 1:10 ratio would have caused excessive die wear and motor load for this formulation. The 1:8 ratio struck the optimal balance between pellet hardness and production efficiency.

4. Implementation and Results

The SZLH420 was installed over a 10-day period in March 2025, including foundation preparation, alignment, and commissioning. Hongyang provided on-site technical support for the first five days of operation, including training for the mill’s shift operators on die gap adjustment, roller maintenance, and steam pressure optimization.

4.1 Performance Comparison

The table below summarizes the before-and-after comparison based on three months of production data (April-June 2025):

4.2 Economic Impact

The improvements translated directly to the client’s bottom line:

5. Customer Feedback

Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu commented on the upgrade:

“The most noticeable difference was in the feedback from our farm customers. Before the upgrade, we would receive 6 to 8 complaints per month about feed wastage due to fines. In the three months since commissioning the Hongyang mill, we have received only one minor complaint. The pellet quality is visibly more uniform, and our sales team reports that several new farms have switched to our feed based on the improved quality.”

He also noted that the SZLH420′s clamp-on roller design made routine maintenance significantly easier for his team, reducing the time required for roller replacement from approximately 4 hours to under 1.5 hours.

6. Conclusion

This case demonstrates that upgrading from a flat-die to a properly specified ring die pellet mill can deliver substantial improvements in pellet quality, production efficiency, and operating cost for swine feed production. The Hongyang SZLH420, with its dual-layer conditioner and customized compression ratio, proved to be a cost-effective solution for a mid-size Vietnamese feed mill seeking to meet the rising quality expectations of modern pig farms.

The key takeaway for feed mill operators in developing markets is that equipment selection must account for local raw material characteristics and operator skill levels. Hongyang’s approach of providing on-site commissioning support and customized die specifications 鈥?rather than a one-size-fits-all solution 鈥?was instrumental in achieving the reported results.