Barilla and Robuschi: a success story without boundaries

Perhaps it’s the closeness (both are based in Parma, the heart of the “Food Valley”); perhaps it’s because each one firmly believes in the potential of the other. Whatever the reason, between Robuschi - a division of the Gardner Denver Group - and Barilla - leader in the production of pasta and baked products - there’s a bond of trust and collaboration that’s been built up over the years and goes beyond the national boundaries.

Barilla, founded in 1877 and now boasting 30 production sites worldwide, makes good use of Robuschi technology, choosing its lobe blowers and screw compressors for the production process at many of its sites.

The focus on environmental sustainability that has always distinguished Barilla is now a full part of the company philosophy. All this means strategic choices in the production area as well. That’s why the company is constantly searching for long-lasting technological solutions that are both pioneering and efficient. This was the thinking behind the decision to use the Robuschi range of products at the San Pedrignano di Parma (Italy) site too, throughout the various production phases: from milling to the actual production of pasta.

The ROBOX evolution blower unit is an integral part of the pneumatic conveying process that transports 15 tonnes of durum wheat flour per hour from the mill to the silos where the various pasta ingredients are stored. Its characteristics include great reliability and robustness, oil-free technology and easy maintenance (infrequent service interventions, which also helps keep costs down).

Once all the ingredients have been weighed, the resulting mixture is transported by means of low-pressure ROBOX screw compressor units - with a capacity of 60 tonnes per hour - to the actual pasta production area. In this case, ROBOX screw was chosen because it offers the possibility to adopt pressure levels that are slightly higher than the usual limits of a lobe blower (1 bar) whilst still maintaining low processing temperatures, thereby avoiding any risk of ruining the material being conveyed. This aspect, along with the oil-free technology (Certification Class 0 - ISO 8573-1), is undoubtedly of vital importance for pneumatic conveying in the food industry, especially for a company like Barilla where the search for quality is a key factor.

The extreme robustness of ROBOX screw makes this system ideal for intermittent use without any associated problems of increased component wear, thanks also to the fact that it works with a low rotation speed (max. 6000 rpm); as a result, there's no negative effect on maintenance costs.

What's more, the high efficiency (ensuring savings of up to 20% compared with a traditional solution) and minimal running and service costs mean a reduction in Life Cycle Costs and that in turn further benefits the Barilla pasta production line.