Express Scale Parts / JEM International - Manufacturer and global distributor of bag filling, bag closing, and bag stacking packaging equipment.


	News and Notes Express Scale Parts & Manufacturing was selected as one of the top 25 small businesses in the Eighth Annual 25 Under 25 awards program. This award was created to recognize 25 outstanding Kansas City area small businesses with fewer than 25 employees. A record number of exceptional nominations were received and the criteria for selection were based on: - Financial stability - Ability to overcome obstacles, adversity, & challenges - Community involvement/service - Distinguishing or defining characteristics/qualities - Company Vision

Please Note: All required fields are denoted in bold.

1. What product or products do you bag?

2. Which best describes your product flow characteristics?
(also provide bulk density of product)

	Free flowing like salt, sugar, grain or seed
	Irregular in shape and size like river rock, gravel, marble chips, etc
	Contains air, can flow like water or extremely fluid, similar to flour, whey powder, carbon black
	Contains molasses, oils, etc which would be considered semi free flowing similar to animal feeds
	Dimensions over 1” (25 mm) in size similar to range cubes or briquettes
	Flakes or products that “rat hole”

2b. Bulk Density of Product:

3. How many bags per 8 hour shift do you require?

4. What is the target weigh range of your product?
(Check all that apply)

	1 lb to 5 lbs (1/2 kg to 3 kg)
	2 lb to 10 lbs (1 kg to 5 kg)
	20 lbs to 60 lbs (10 kg to 30 kg)
	50 lbs to 100 lbs (25 kg to 50 kg)
	Other (please specify):

5a. Is head room or floor space restricted?

Yes No

5b. If YES for 5a, please advise:

6. Is product abrasive?

Yes No

7. Is product corrosive?

Yes No

8. Is stainless-steel contact platework required?

Yes No

8b. Is food grade required?

Yes No

9. Is NEMA 12 electrical acceptable?

Yes No

10. Are bag counters required?

Yes No

11. Are printers required?

Yes No

12. What bags do you use?
(Check all that apply)

	Paper (kraft)
	Polywoven
	Plastic or Polyethylene

13. Physical dimension of largest bag
i.e. - 16” x 4” x 32” (40 cm x 10 cm x 80 cm)

	Flat
	Gusset
	Height

14. Physical dimension of smallest bag

	Flat
	Gusset
	Height

15a. Are surge hopper bins required?

Yes No

If YES for 15a, please answer the following (15b-15e)

15b. How many cubic foot of storage of product is required?

15c. How much head room is available?

15d. Are bin level sensor devices required?

Yes No

15e. We typically design bins with a 60° slope and the bottom of scale 48" to floor. Are these dimensions and angles acceptable for your operation or product?

Yes No

16a. Is a bag closing system required?

Yes No

16b. If YES for 16a, how do you plan to close your bags?

Sew only
Sew and tape
Pinch bottom
Heat seal plastic bags
Other (please specify):

17. Preference for Type of bag closing conveyor:

Flat Belt Conveyor
V Conveyor

18. Are transfer conveyors required to bring bags to palletizing height?

Yes No

19. Normally, one man can stack 350 bags per hour on a continuous basis. If one operator is responsible for bag filling, bag closing, and bag stacking, typically 200 bags per hour is a realistic output.

Is manual bag stacking acceptable?

Yes No

Is manual bag stacking with bag flattening preferable?

Yes No

Flexibility vs. Automation: These are opposite terms. Typically the plant that handles the fewest number of products, one type of bag, and requires at least 3,000 bags per 8 hour day is a good candidate for automation. Conversely, plants with multiple products, paper and plastic bags are not nearly as good a candidate for automation.

Man Power: even the most automated system will require one operator to be present 100% of the time.

One man can typically stack 350 bags per hour on pallets. Operations of higher speeds can look at a semi automatic palletizer, which requires one operator who can handle up to 20 bags per minute, or 1,200 bags per hour. Automation in palletizers is dependent upon the condition of the pallets, configuration of the rows, overlapping of the bags, etc. A plant using new pallets, one bag pattern, and no overlapping is a better candidate for automation than a plant that uses #2 and #3 grade pallets and has a variety of bag patterns.

20. More information required on automation of stacking?

Yes No