Profiling GEM
The Procedure for Manufacturing Processing Systems
Definition
Budgeting
Preliminary Design
Customer Feedback
Pricing
Scheduling
Engineering
Final Design Review
Detailing
Procurement
Manufacturing
Quality Assurance
Shipping
Startup Support
In business since 1969
equipment
OF
OREGON
inc.
P.O. Box 359/ 2150 Progress Way Woodburn, OR 97071 Telephone 503-982-9902
Fax: 503-981-6316 Email: gem@gemequipment.com Website: gemequipment.com
GEM Equipment of Oregon, Inc.
GEM Equipment is a producer of food processing systems. This company's roll is that of a partner with the customer, using the best technology and operating information available from
each company, to achieve the optimum processing system for the customer.
It is the purpose of this publication to define the steps in the development of a processing
system and delineate the strengths GEM provides for the process.
After stating our Mission and Operating Philosophy, the steps are listed in outline form with a
brief description.
Note, that due to accelerated project schedules, it is normal for some of the steps to proceed
concurrently. In addition, the exact order of the steps will vary from project to project.
Profiling GEM
Woodburn Plant
Mount Angel Plant
Page 2
OUR MISSION
GEM Equipment has a mission to make a profit
by providing processing equipment designed
to meet the customer's needs for specific applications. Customer input is a critical factor. Not
only does listening to the customer greatly
reduce the chances of not meeting his needs, it
also addresses the issue of processing competency. There is no way that GEM, or any other
processing equipment manufacturer, can be as
savvy about a given process as customer
personnel, who are producing the product
every day. The best work at GEM is done on
those projects that combine this company's and
the customer's best technology. Since this only
happens when there is a good working relationship between customer and supplier, GEM
places a very high value on long term relationships.
equipment
OF
OREGON
inc.
Modular Lab Fryer
OUR OPERATING PHILOSOPHY
Part of the Operating Philosophy at GEM is to
produce systems with the lowest ten-year total
cost of ownership and operation. Costs include
purchase price, operation, maintenance, sanitation and energy. Customer service is a critical
part of this operating philosophy. When a
processor places an order, be it a relatively
simple piece of equipment, or a comprehensive
system, that customer is trusting this company
with a critical part of their operation. To earn
this trust, problems in the field must be
addressed with a sense of urgency. There is a
second reason for aggressive field service.
Evaluation of problems reduces the chance of
repeating the same mistake and leads to product line improvements. This leads to the third
leg of the operating philosophy stool: continuous improvement. Addressing known weaknesses and moving design and manufacturing
technology forward are required. Success is
determined by how well the equipment
performs for the customer.
Blancher
Two-stage Tote Dumper
Page 3
Profiling GEM
Our Mission. . . . . . . .
Budgeting. . . . . . . . .
Preliminary Design. . . .
Customer Feedback. . . .
Pricing. . . . . . . . . .
Scheduling. . . . . . . .
Engineering. . . . . . . .
Final Design Review. . .
Detailing. . . . . . . . .
The first step is to define the project objectives.
Sometimes, part of Definition. This crucial early step will
determine if the project is financially viable. It is not
unusual for budgeting to cause a redefinition of the project.
Includes flow diagrams, first generation layouts, elevations,
and definition of major components. Determines space
requirements and supports budgeting.
Customer evaluation of the preliminary design. A design
review meeting with all parties present is the most effective method of obtaining customer feedback.
The first question: Bids from several potential suppliers or
negotiated contract with the best-qualified supplier? This
stage should produce accurate, firm pricing.
On a complex project, comprehensive scheduling is mandatory to assure on time completion. Scheduling needs to
include all facets of Engineering, Manufacturing and
Installation.
Includes: finalized layouts and elevations, selection of
standard components, design of custom components,
support structures, catwalks, piping systems, etc., stress
and fluid analysis, power and heat transfer calculations,
selection of materials, and safety review.
This is the last chance for all parties to assure that the project objectives are being met. The most effective design
review meetings include representatives from the
customer's Engineering, Operating, Maintenance, Sanitation, and Quality Control Departments.
Design of the parts for each component in preparation for
manufacturing.
Page 4
equipment
Procurement. . . . . . . .
OF
OREGON
inc.
All the components that make up a piece of food processing equipment have to come from somewhere. Material
and manufactured components are purchased; other
components are manufactured in GEM'S plate, machine
and fabrication shops and outside shops.
Manufacturing. . . . . . . At GEM Equipment, manufacturing consists of computer
programming, cutting, forming, drilling, milling, turning,
boring, honing, fabrication,welding, cleaning, grinding,
polishing, painting and assembly.
Quality Assurnace, . . . . This consists of making sure that the customer's needs and
GEM standards are met. Quality assurance is a function
and responsibility of all employees at each step of the
design, manufacturing and installation process.
Shipping, , , , , . . . .
Installation. . . . . . . .
Startup Support . . . . .
After Sale Service
and Warranty. . . .. . .
Shipping consists of scheduling trucks, packing, loading
and documenting. Allowing adequate time for shipping is
part of comprehensive scheduling.
Installation includes setting the equipment, field assembly,
grouting, piping, guarding and electrical work. GEM is not
licensed for electrical and high-pressure steam fitting.
GEM can furnish personnel for technical support during
the startup and shakedown period.
GEM Equipment can furnish personnel for technical
support during the startup and shakedown period.
To GEM Equipment, Customer Service means addressing
problems in the field with a sense of urgency to assure that
negative impact on the customer is held to a minimum.
Project Review Meeting. . The primary purpose of this meeting is to assure that all
parties will be able to effectively work together in the
future. Resolution of any outstanding issues and review of
expected improvements for next time should be included
on the agenda for this meeting.
Page 5
Product?
Processing?
Volume?
Etc.?
Customer
Project
GEM Equipment
Components?
Floor Space?
Startup Date?
Etc.?
DEFINITION
BUDGETING
Accurate definition up front will assure that
the owner not only gets maximum value for
his money, but also gets the system he wants,
not the system some supplier thinks he
should have. If at all possible, the owner
should define the project. A consultant will
normally not be efficient when called on for
project definition. Too much effort and cost
goes into guessing what is required. Some
owners try to save consulting fees by having
manufacturers, contractors or other suppliers
define projects. This works if a standard
system is being installed, or if there is a very
close ongoing relationship between supplier
and owner. GEM can help with definition. For
a processing or manufacturing system, good
definition includes type of raw product,
finished products, processing parameters,
product volume, special conditions, and utilities available. This is the time to establish
standards for manufactured components,
such as motors, gearboxes, bearings, pumps,
controls, etc. If the project is preparing to
move ahead, definition should also address
critical dates, such as date major components
will be ordered, availability of floor space for
installation, and most important, startup date.
Budgeting should include not only the capital
investment involved, but also ownership
costs, which include operating, energy, maintenance and sanitation. This is the time to
determine if the project is financially viable.
Will the system produce saleable product at
an acceptable cost? This is the time to select
major components. GEM can prepare budgets
and provide input on operating costs. The
budgeting process will often produce information to be used for time tuning definition.
Operating? Energy?
Maintenance? Sanitation?
Page 6
PRELIMINARY DESIGN
equipment
OF
OREGON
inc.
Preliminary design is based on the project definition and the budget. It often starts with a flow
diagram showing all the steps that occur in the process. Layouts and elevations are the primary
output of the preliminary design process. These provide input for equipment, support structure, catwalk and operating platform design. Layouts and elevations determine space requirements and should surface any obstructions in existing buildings, plus provide the starting point
for electrical and piping designs. Most important preliminary design work furnishes the first
opportunity for the owner to make sure his needs are being met.
CUSTOMER FEEDBACK
Customer driven changes are a fact of life for GEM Equipment. This is a result of custom design,
working on big-ticket projects and a desire to be the customer's partner for developing
processing systems. Custom equipment is normally not designed until after it is sold. The first
chance the customer gets to visualize what has been purchased is when the top drawings are
presented for review. Being able to visualize the finished equipment for the first time enables
the customer to determine if the equipment could be better or more user friendly. When the
equipment is part of a large project both supplier and customer have incentive to make sure
the equipment is the best it can be. Once the project is finished, it is very hard to justify additional funding to fix oversights. GEM is often a design partner with customers because the two
organizations can do a much better job jointly than either can do alone. As noted in our
Mission Statement, there is no way that equipment manufacturers can know as much about a
process, as the plant operating and maintenance personnel who work with it every day. An
effective partnership combines the processor's food technology and product expertise with
the equipment manufacturer's machine design and equipment manufacturing knowledge. For
both partners to achieve maximum benefit, the equipment manufacturer must welcome
customer driven design changes. Much better to make a change late in the cycle, than have the
finished system prove the modifications should have been made.
Page 7
PRICING
Needless to say, all purchasers want to get the
best deal. If you have followed the steps to
this point, your project will be well defined,
making it possible to get quotations from
quality vendors and make the final determination based on price. If it is impossible to
accurately define the project or there is a
need for secrecy, negotiating price with a
trusted vendor and sole sourcing may be a
more effective approach. While low initial
price is important, it is mot as important as
purchasing equipment that will meet the
project objectives and be cost effective over
the design life. GEM's estimators, have a good
understanding of food processing technology and access to professional engineering
backup.
SCHEDULING
Without a comprehensive project schedule, it is almost impossible to complete a complex project on time. GEM's production schedule utilizes a horizontal bar chart superimposed on a
calendar. Each day has a vertical column. Jobs are listed vertically on the left-hand side of the
schedule. A required for each date is listed in the date's box along the job's bar. A manpower
requirement total for each day is listed across the bottom of the schedule. Similar formats are
used for engineering and installation schedules. Copies of the schedule for individual projects
are available to the project's customer on request.
Page 8
FINAL DESIGN REVIEW
equipment
OF
OREGON
inc.
Before the final design review, it should be decided whether the customer is retaining final
design responsibility or it is delegated to GEM. In either case, GEM is responsible for surfacing
information about potential problems and to respond to any customer's concerns. If the project is large, it is desirable to include GEM's salesman and project manager, with representatives
from the customer's Engineering, Operating, Maintenance, Sanitation and Quality Control
Departments in this meeting. The objective of this meeting is to assure all parties that the
system has been designed to meet the project definition objectives and provide a last chance
for the customer to have the designs fine tuned.
DETAILING
PROCUREMENT
Detailing is the link between engineering and
manufacturing. The heavy-duty drive shown
above is used on GEM Equipment's large
vibrating conveyors. The plan and elevation
on the left side of the drawing represents
completed engineering. The other views
shown in the middle and upper right side of
the drawing are detailed parts. The same
designer who designs the equipment
normally does GEM's detailing. Information
for manufacturing parts on one of the
company's five computer controlled machine
tools is digitally transferred from engineering
to shop programming.
In an ideal world, engineering, final design
review and detailing would all be completed
prior to ordering material and components.
In the real world, on many projects, manufactured components must be ordered very
shortly after GEM receives the order and long
before engineering and detailing are complete. Purchasing has the responsibility to
make sure that all materials and manufactured components arrive soon enough to
avoid negative impact on delivery dates. In
addition, manufacture of components by
GEM must be scheduled so outside services,
such as heat-treating can be completed on
time. GEM could not meet required delivery
dates without superior performance by many
fine suppliers.
Page 9
ENGINEERING
System design and design of major components usually progress concurrently. Computer Aided Design has greatly eased the
insertion of major components into the
system design. By the time engineering for
equipment, such as fryer, blanchers and
batter applicators is started, the equipment
has been sized and design review meetings
have been held. Most projects are on a fast
track, necessitating quick work on engineering calculations necessary to determine final
specifications on pumps, motors and gear
boxes, etc, so that these components can be
ordered in time to ensure that their lead time does not impact project completion. The first
step, in design of equipment, is to draw cross sections, elevation and plan views. If critical fluid
flows are involved, Computational Fluid Dynamics (in layman's terms: Computerized Fluid Flow
Profiling) are used to fine-tune the design to obtain the most desirable fluid flow characteristics.
Necessary stress analysis, to aid in selection of material thickness and structural components is
done at this time. As soon as major equipment design is far enough along to freeze exterior size
and shape, design of support structure, piping, conveyors and other external systems is started.
Fortunately, manufacture of these auxiliary
components does not take as long as manufacture of the major components. Often the
manufacture of a fryer will be over halfcomplete by the time external piping, support
structure and catwalks start through manufacturing.
MANUFACTURING
GEM Equipment's Manufacturing is moving into the computerized control. These machines
are considerably more productive and much more accurate than the manually controlled
operations they replaced. Currently, GEM has a CNC laser and four CNC vertical machining
centers. Departments within manufacturing include Computer Programming, Plate Shop,
Laser, Machine Shop, Fabrication and Metal Finishing
Page 10
COMPUTER PROGRAMMING
The programming department receives
digital information in Computer Aided
Design format. Utilizing a computer with
production software, programmers convert
this information into programs for the laser
and CNC machine tools. Nesting the parts
to obtain maximum utilization of material is
an important part of programming for the
laser. Machine tool programming requires
selection of cutting tools by the programmer. If a digital drawing does not exist for a
part to be manufactured by a CNC machine
tool, the machining center can be
programmed by hand by manually going
through the steps in a given process.
Downloading through the programming
department's computer can save the resulting program.
LASER
GEM has a large heavy-duty laser that can cut
material up to three quarter inch thick. It
processes sheets and plates up to five feet
wide and ten feet long. Metal cutting lasers
use a beam of light to melt the material from
the cut. Movement of the cutting head is
directed by the unit's computer using a
program based on Computer Aided Design
information to determine the shape of the
cut. Overall, accuracy of parts produced
varies no more than two thousandths of one
inch. The big savings are achieved by
designed equipment to take advantage of
the laser's ability to rapidly and accurately cut
parts of most any shape. The laser allowed
the number of parts in a rabbit ear conveyor
head section weldment to be reduced from
twelve or fourteen, to five. It also made it
possible to develop a slider bed conveyor
design that is approximately ten percent less
costly to manufacture than conventional
design.
equipment
OF
OREGON
inc.
PLATE SHOP
Plate shop equipment consists of two shears,
two press brakes, a saw, an ironworker and a
small plate roll. This department routinely
cuts and forms martial up to sixteen feet long
and one half inch thick. While shearing is a
low tech relatively old fashioned method of
cutting, none of the newer high tech
machines can compete with a metal shear for
producing simple straight sided parts. The
press brakes, which bend parts either sheared
or cut by the laser, are capable of forming very
complex shapes. At this time, sophisticated
punching and heavy rolling and forming are
farmed out to other shops.
Page 11
MACHINE SHOP
The Company's first machine tools were
purchased used, in 1989. A visit to the
machine shop at GEM is a walk through twentieth century history of American metal
cutting. Vintage of the Company's lathes
ranges from one manufactured in 1896 to
one purchased new by its first owner in 1992.
Capacity of the lathes ranges from fourteeninch swing with forty inch between centers,
to one with sixty-inch swing and eight feet
between centers and one with thirty-six inch
swing and twenty-four feet between centers.
Moving ahead historically, a visitor would
arrive at two 1950s vintage spiral cut gear
shapers. These machines, which do not use
any electronics, are fully automatic. After a
blank is fastened to the table, one of these
shapers can cut all the teeth in spiral cut gear
without human intervention. GEM uses the
gear shapers to cut teeth on internal splines
used for fryer and blancher hood jack drive
mechanism.
Milling operations are
performed by late twentieth century CNC
machining centers. The oldest of these was
manufactured in 1985. The latest addition
was purchased new in 2000. The largest,
purchased new in 1999 to machine sections
of fryer kettles, can process parts up to ten
feet two inches long by eighty-two inches
wide. Maximum vertical tool travel is
twenty-seven inches.
In addition, the
machine shop has honing and tool grinding
capabilities. Development of the machine
shop has enabled GEM to manufacture more
sophisticated equipment and upgrade existing product line. Blancher belt side chain
links are now precision machined, resulting in
longer life. All holes and slots that effect oil
flow in fryer kettles are machined.
Vertical CNC Machining Center
Gear Shaper
Large CNC Vertical Machining Center
Page 12
FABRICATION
equipment
OF
OREGON
inc.
Fabrication consists of fitting parts together, welding and final assembly. Fabricators have
to be able to assemble the weldments, perform a wide variety of welding operations and do
final assembly. To be a good fabricator, an employee has to be good at managing his project. An intermediate fabricator may be managing himself on a project such as a small conveyor. A journeyman fabricator might be job leader on a tote dumper or large conveyor.
Fryers and blanchers are supervised by a leadman or senior leadman. A senior leadman
may be responsible for fifteen or twenty
fabricators, on two shifts, manufacturing a
half a million-dollar piece of food processing equipment. The common denominator
is that the people responsible for manufacturing food-processing equipment must
have and use good management skills. The
welding process is often highly technical.
There is welding of dissimilar materials,
such as stellite and stainless steel for
blancher belt side chains or welding stainless steel to mild steel. People welding have
to know when to preheat metal being
welded and when a controlled cool down is
required. They also have to know how to
Welder at Work
straighten weldments after welding and
most important, the use of welding procedures that minimize the build up of heat
METAL FINISHING
induced stress. Quality fabrication is the
backbone of GEM Equipment's equipment
At GEM Equipment, metal finishing consists
of grinding, polishing and passivation. The
fabricators perform grinding and polishing.
The amount of grinding and polishing will be
determined by the use of the equipment.
Dairy and meat usually requires all welds on
product contact surfaces to be ground and
polished to the same finish as the parent
metal. This level of finish would cost too
much to be used for raw product handling
equipment for potato and vegetable operations. Passivation consists of a nitric acid
wash down of stainless steel weldments to
assure that any mild steel contamination is
eliminated. If mild steel is allowed to remain
embedded in the stainless steel, the mild
Passivating Equipment
steel will oxidize and show signs of rusting.
Page 13
QUALITY ASSURANCE
For a company that desires repeat business,
quality is not just critical, it is mandatory.
GEM's top management is dedicated to
producing the highest quality equipment
feasible for each specific application. Needless to say, fit and finish requirements are high
for satisfying meat and dairy requirements
than for the raw product end of a vegetable
plant. The primary objective is to maintain
the required quality level at each step of the
design, manufacturing and installation
process. This means that every employee is
responsible for quality. Quality must meet
customer needs and GEM Equipment's standards.
Pallet Washer for Beverage Plant
SHIPPING
A company that manufactures oversize
equipment puts a big load on its shipping
department and on trucking companies. It is
not unusual to ship overwidth loads across
country. Shipping includes the responsibility
for scheduling trucks, packing, loading and
documenting the contents of each load.
INSTALLATION
Fryer hits the road
Fryer installed in customer’s plant
GEM Equipment's role in installation is dependent on geography. For installations in the
United States, GEM is capable of setting the
equipment, support structure, catwalks and
process piping, utilizing crews from the
company's Oregon plants. Due to Canadian
immigration law, an installation project in
Canada requires the use of a crew that is fifty
percent Canadian. GEM obtains the Canadian
workers from local subcontractors. A large
installation project will be managed by a
senior leadman. Because they are permanent
employees and have built equipment similar
to that being installed, these men are well
qualified and take personal responsibility for
the customer's well being. When required,
GEM will furnish a leadman or senior leadman
to provide technical guidance to crews
installing equipment outside North America.
Page 14
STARTUP SUPPORT
equipment
OF
OREGON
inc.
If GEM performs the installation, startup support is normally part of the installation service.
Part of the reason this is included when GEM installs, is that many of the problems experienced at startup occurred as a result of the hustle and bustle that too often is the norm
during the final days of installation. This also reduces delay for the customer and cost for
this company in addressing any warranty issues. If GEM does not install or special qualifications are required, these services are available as an extra cost option.
.
AFTER SALES SERVICE AND WARRANTY
GEM Equipment feels a strong responsibility
to professionally address any problems in the
field with a sense of urgency. If a problem
that carries the risk of emergency shutdown
falls in a gray area between GEM's and the
customer's responsibility, this company's
policy is to deploy resources and get the
problem addressed. The time to decide the
degree of financial responsibility for each
party is after the problem is fixed and the
plant is operating without risk of eminent
disaster. While GEM's warranty is approximately one year after shipment, extenuating
circumstances can result in an extension of
the warranty for specific problems. The
primary purpose of after sales service is to
minimize any negative event caused by
problems in the field.
Peach Halves
Hazel Nuts
PROJECT REVIEW MEETING
It is helpful for both GEM and the customer to
have a final meeting to review how well the
project results are meeting the project objectives and to resolve any loose ends. If the
project has been well managed by both
parties, this meeting should be relatively
upbeat and provide for a closer working
relationship in the future. For GEM, the
primary objective of this meeting is to assure
that any issues that would reduce GEM's
chances of future business are addressed.
This is also an opportunity for this company
to gather information about potential
improvements that would make the equipment more effective for the customer. No
equipment manufacturer can know as much
about the operation of the equipment as do
personnel who work with it every day
Page 15
A Touch of GEM Equipment
EIGHT FOOT WIDE
BATTER APPLICATOR
VORTEX TANKS
MIXED VEGETABLE LINE
All of GEM's eight-foot wide batter
applicators, now in service, are applying batter french fry potatoes. GEM
furnishes complete batter fry lines,
which consist of the applicator, blowoff conveyor, fryer feed conveyor,
two-stage fryer and batter mixing
system. GEM is a leader in high capacity batter and frying equipment. A
large capacity breader is available
Hydropumps attach to the flanges at
the right.
Hydropump systems
convey by suspending product in
water. These systems normally consist
of a vortex tank, a hydropump, piping,
a dewatering device and a scavenger
reel. The water is recirculated. If the
discharge is not higher than the
vortex tank, a return pump with tank
will have to be included with the
system. Hydropump systems are used
to convey a large variety of food products. Computational Fluid Dynamics is
used in Vortex Tank Design.
Each mixed vegetable station consists
of a tote dumper, loose freeze breaker,
with hopper and a proportional
feeder, with hopper. In addition, the
system
includes
hydraulic
pump,support structure, catwalk and
vibrating collection conveyor. Any
one of these components can be
purchased as a separate item. Mixed
vegetable lines can be furnished with
any number of stations.
Page 16
Mixing & Cleaning
PADDLE MIXER
DUAL RIBBON BLENDER
BARREL WASHERS
Paddle mixers are normally used for
mixing a continuous flow of product.
They are effective for difficult mixing
applications. Screw conveyor troughs
are sometimes used for the mix tank.
In addition to paddle mixers, GEM
Equipment's product line includes a
full line of screw conveyors and a wide
variety of ribbon blenders.
The dual ribbon blender above meets
the USDA requirements for meat and
poultry.
This paddle blender
processes 6000 pounds of meat per
hour. The grate includes electrical
safety switches.
This unit is used to wash the peeling
loosened by the steam peeler off of
potatoes. The potatoes are agitated
as they travel through the drum.
Water sprays flush the peeling off and
out of the washer. The water is recirculated and a scavenger reel removes
the skins from the water. The complete washing system, available from
GEM, consists of the washer, one
hundred fifty-psi pump, scavenger
reel and recirculation piping.
Page 17
Equipment Designed by Flodin
ROCK TRAPS FOR PRODUCTS THAT SINK
ROCK TRAPS FOR PRODUCTS THAT FLOAT
For products that sink, the Flodin Rock Trap
does more that just remove rocks. Rock traps
used for potatoes and other root crops that
sink, has an upper conveyor that removes vines,
sticks and other floating debris. The lower
conveyor removes rocks and a flume conveys
the product out the side of the rock trap. Water
flow rate and infeed elevation of the upper
conveyor are adjustable to provide fine tuning
for specific applications. More than 80 Flodin
Rock Traps have been manufactured and put
into operation.
The Flodin Rock Traps manufactured by Gem
Equipment for product that float do not include
the upper conveyor. The upper conveyor would
convey good product out with the floating debris.
Page 18
Fryers
FRYER WITH
FRYER FEED CONVEYOR
CO-PRODUCT FRYER
STAINLESS STEEL APPETIZER FRYER
GEM Equipment has been manufacturing frying systems for the French
Fry Potato industry for over twenty
years.
Fryers are externally heated, have high
rate of oil flow and the oil is continuously filtered by full flow filtration
equipment.
Filtration rate is high. Total system oil
volume is filtered at least once every
minute. The high rate of oil flow,
coupled with scientific kettle design,
assures uniform color and surface
texture across the width of the fryer
Page 19
GEM Services
Profiling GEM Equipment of Oregon, Inc.
Engineering
Flow Modeling
Stress Analysis
Laser Cutting
Manufacturing
Installation
In business since 1969
equipment
OF
OREGON
inc.
P.O. Box 359/ 2150 Progress Way Woodburn, OR 97071 Telephone 503-982-9902
Fax: 503-981-6316 Email: gem@gemequipment.com Website: gemequipment.com