Executive Summary
This case study documents the design, installation, and operational performance of a 10-metric-ton-per-hour poultry and livestock feed production line supplied by Hongyang Feed Machinery to a commercial feed mill in Punjab Province, Pakistan. Commissioned in early 2025, the line replaced an aging 4 t/h plant that had become a capacity bottleneck in a region where the poultry sector contributes approximately PKR 350–450 billion (US$1.2–1.5 billion) annually and supports over 1.5 million jobs (Pakistan Poultry Association, 2024). Post-commissioning data from a 90-day production window (March–May 2025) demonstrate sustained throughput at rated capacity, pellet durability index (PDI) values of 96.2–97.8%, mixing uniformity below 5% CV, and specific energy consumption of 41.3 kWh/t at full load.
1. Market Background
Pakistan’s poultry industry produces an estimated 1.25–1.40 million metric tons of commercial poultry meat and approximately 18.5 billion eggs annually (Economic Survey of Pakistan, 2023–24). Approximately 300 feed mills operate nationwide with a combined installed capacity of 10–12 million metric tons per year, though actual utilization ranges from 68–78% due to periodic raw material shortages — particularly maize and soybean meal — and seasonal energy supply disruptions (Pakistan Feed Manufacturers Association, 2024).
The mill profiled here is located in the Faisalabad industrial corridor, serving integrated broiler operations, independent layer farms, and commercial dairy farms transitioning to TMR-based feeding. Two structural factors drove the investment decision in 2024–25: rising feed demand had forced the legacy 4 t/h line to operate at 105–110% of nameplate capacity during peak periods, and raw material cost volatility — maize prices in Punjab fluctuated between PKR 2,200 and PKR 3,600 per maund — made processing efficiency a critical margin determinant.
2. Customer Challenge and Requirements
The mill’s management issued a formal RFQ in mid-2024 with the following technical specifications:
| Parameter | Customer Requirement |
|---|---|
| Rated capacity | 10 t/h (finished pellets) |
| Pellet size range | 2–8 mm (broiler, layer, cattle) |
| Pellet durability index (PDI) | ≥95% (ASAE S269.4) |
| Mixing uniformity (CV) | ≤5% |
| Specific energy consumption | ≤45 kWh/t (full line) |
Site constraints included a production hall footprint of 28 m × 14 m (shared with the existing line), a sanctioned electrical load of 750 kVA, and an existing 4 t/h coal-fired boiler requiring only a header upgrade to supply the new conditioners. The raw material profile — corn-soybean meal based, with wheat bran and rice husk as seasonal substitutes — required grinding flexibility across a range of moisture levels (corn: 13–16%).
3. Technical Assessment and Equipment Configuration
Hongyang Feed Machinery conducted a three-day on-site assessment in October 2024, covering layout, electrical infrastructure, steam capacity, and raw material handling. The resulting configuration followed a batch-mixing, continuous-pelleting process flow:
3.1 Principal Equipment
| Section | Equipment | Model | Key Specification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grinding | Tear-circle hammer mill | SDH-ZW50C | 132 kW, 1,480 rpm, 10–12 t/h at 3.0 mm screen |
| Mixing | Double-shaft paddle mixer | SSHJ.2 | 18.5 kW, 2,000 L batch, CV ≤5% |
| Batching | Multi-bin electronic scale | HY-PB-10 | 10-bin, ±0.2% accuracy |
| Pelleting | Ring die pellet mill | SZLH420 | 110 kW, die ID 420 mm, 8–12 t/h capacity |
| Conditioning | Double-layer conditioner | HY-CL420 | Retention 120–180 s, discharge 82–92°C |
| Cooling | Counter-flow cooler | SKLN6 | Discharge ≤ ambient +5°C |
| Screening | Rotary grading screener | SFJH125 | Three-deck, 3 kW |
| Packing | Automatic scale | SDBY-P | 10–50 kg/bag, 10–12 bags/min |
| Dust collection | Pulse jet bag filter | TBLFa series | Emission ≤20 mg/m³ |
3.2 Key Engineering Decisions
Grinding Strategy
A 3.0 mm screen aperture was specified for poultry formulations, producing a geometric mean particle size of 650–750 µm — optimal for broiler FCR (Amerah et al., 2007). Cattle feed used a 4.0 mm screen for coarser grind.
Ring Die Specification
The SZLH420 was equipped with compression ratios of 1:10 (broiler) and 1:12 (layer), selected from Hongyang’s formulation database to match the 14–16% moisture corn-soybean meal diets prevalent in Punjab.
Conditioner Retention
The double-layer conditioner’s 150–180 second retention at 10 t/h exceeds the 120-second threshold linked to adequate starch gelatinization (>30%) for high-PDI corn-based feeds (Thomas et al., 1998), accommodating the region’s variable raw material moisture levels.
4. Installation and Commissioning
Equipment shipped from Liyang, China, arrived at Karachi Port in December 2024 and was transported to Faisalabad in early January 2025. Installation completed in 44 days (January 15–February 28, 2025), during which Hongyang’s two mechanical engineers and one electrical engineer worked alongside the customer’s six-person maintenance team — a deliberate knowledge-transfer strategy.
Commissioning proceeded in three phases:
Individual machines verified for rotation, vibration, and electrical parameters. Pellet mill main bearing vibration measured 2.3 mm/s RMS — within ISO 10816-3 Class III limits.
Single-formulation runs at 4, 7, and 10 t/h on a broiler starter diet (CP 23%). At 10 t/h, the pellet mill motor load was 92–96% of rated power, conditioner discharge temperature was 88–91°C, and PDI reached 96.4%.
Layer (CP 17%) and cattle (CP 14%) formulations confirmed pellet quality met specifications on all three diets.
A 40-hour operator training program covered daily inspections, start-up/shutdown sequences, steam optimization, screen and die change procedures, and basic troubleshooting. Training materials were provided in English and Urdu, supplemented by a hard-copy operations manual.
5. Operational Results (90-Day Window: March–May 2025)
5.1 Throughput
| Formulation | Average (t/h) | Range | Utilization |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broiler (3–4 mm) | 10.2 | 9.4–10.8 | 102% |
| Layer (4–5 mm) | 9.8 | 9.1–10.5 | 98% |
| Cattle (6–8 mm) | 10.6 | 9.8–11.2 | 106% |
5.2 Pellet Quality and Energy Efficiency
| Formulation | PDI (Avg ± SD) | Specific Energy (kWh/t) |
|---|---|---|
| Broiler | 96.8% ± 0.7% | 41.3 |
| Layer | 96.2% ± 0.9% | 42.1 |
| Cattle | 95.4% ± 1.1% | 39.8 |
Mixing uniformity, assessed via crude protein CV on 30 broiler batches and 18 layer batches, averaged 4.3% and 4.6% respectively — both within the ≤5% target (ASAE D241.4).
5.3 Performance Summary
| Metric | Target | Achieved | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Throughput | 10.0 t/h | 9.8–10.6 t/h | Exceeded |
| PDI | ≥95% | 95.4–96.8% | Exceeded |
| Mixing CV | ≤5% | 4.1–4.8% | Exceeded |
| Specific energy | ≤45 kWh/t | 39.8–42.1 kWh/t | Exceeded |
| Pellet forming rate | ≥95% | 96.5% (average) | Exceeded |
6. Service and After-Sales Support
Hongyang supplied an initial spare parts kit (US$18,500), including one complete set of hammers, two ring dies, one set of rollers, bearings, and seals — sized for 1,200 operating hours. A dedicated English-speaking technical contact was assigned for WhatsApp and email-based remote support. During the first 90 days, three remote sessions resolved a false vibration alarm, a steam pressure optimization for high-moisture corn (16.2%), and a damper adjustment after a screen change. The supply contract specifies a 10-working-day on-site engineer dispatch for issues not resolvable remotely; as of May 2025, no on-site visit has been necessary.
7. Conclusion
The 10 t/h feed line installation at Faisalabad demonstrates that a properly specified ring die pelleting system can deliver measurable throughput, pellet quality, and energy efficiency gains in Pakistan’s feed industry. Three factors drove project success:
Accurate pre-sale characterization of site constraints (power, steam, space)
Process-parameter optimization during commissioning, particularly conditioner retention time and die specification
Operator training that sustained commissioning-phase performance in routine production
For Hongyang Feed Machinery, this engagement reinforces the value of treating equipment supply as an integrated process-engineering service rather than a transactional sale. As Pakistan’s poultry sector expands at an estimated 8–12% annually, the ability to deliver reliable, documented production outcomes will remain a key differentiator in this market.
References
- Amerah, A. M., et al. (2007). Feed particle size: Implications on digestion and performance of poultry. World’s Poultry Science Journal, 63(3), 439–455.
- Economic Survey of Pakistan (2023–24). Ministry of Finance, Government of Pakistan.
- Pakistan Feed Manufacturers Association (2024). Annual Industry Report.
- Pakistan Poultry Association (2024). Poultry Sector Contribution to National Economy.
- Thomas, M., et al. (1998). Physical quality of pelleted animal feed. 2. Animal Feed Science and Technology, 70(3), 235–250.
- ASAE S269.4, S319.3, D241.4; ISO 10816-3.
Post time: May-27-2026
