Dock Equipment: Agribusiness deploys reliable vehicle scales

One of the world’s largest providers of agricultural products operates an animal-feed production facility in Vietnam. The facility recently upgraded its truck scales to ensure accuracy, reduce downtime and protect profits.

The factory had been using the same two vehicle scales since 1997. The scales required frequent recalibrations to keep its weighing results within legal tolerances. The concrete foundations and scale platforms were also in disrepair.

As the accuracy of the weight values fluctuated, the feed factory would lose profit by giving away extra product on orders. Or, if weights drifted in the opposite direction, local farmers could question the weight and price of products they received. These risks to the company’s profit margins and strong local reputation were not acceptable.

Two new steel-deck truck scales with load-cell technology offered a turnkey replacement for the legacy system, and included concrete foundation work. The project was challenging because there were no existing drawings for the truck scale and the foundations were damaged and not level. The scale was replaced in five days.

The load cells provide weighing accuracy using on-board microprocessors that sense and adapt to temperature, nonlinearity and creep. These microprocessors are also alerting operators to potential inconsistencies before they begin, all but eliminating unplanned downtime.

Mettler Toledo
800-638-8537
mt.com