M Bohlke Veneer

Check out what Nick Bohlke of M Bohlke Veneer had to say about BE&E in our company video.

live floor feeder bin with sunrise in the background

M Bohlke Veneer

live floor feeder bin with sunrise in the background

Challenge

“The heartbeat of our operation is our boiler system,” said Nick Bohlke, President of Manufacturing at M Bohlke Veneer. “If we don’t have our boilers running properly and the right fuel going into the boilers, our whole operation doesn’t run. We need to create heat.”

But he had a problem. The infeed system to the boiler needed much attention and required most of the boiler operator’s time.

“We had a retrofitted corn or grain conveyor, where we used a metal-fabricated hopper,” Nick said. “We dumped woodchips into that conveyor, and it fed it up into the drop chute. The boiler operator was spending 60 percent of his time in a loader feeding fuel when he could have been in the building, doing things, monitoring equipment, preventative maintenance, making sure the systems were running efficiently.”

Challenge

“The heartbeat of our operation is our boiler system,” said Nick Bohlke, President of Manufacturing at M Bohlke Veneer. “If we don’t have our boilers running properly and the right fuel going into the boilers, our whole operation doesn’t run. We need to create heat.”

But he had a problem. The infeed system to the boiler needed much attention and required most of the boiler operator’s time.

“We had a retrofitted corn or grain conveyor, where we used a metal-fabricated hopper,” Nick said. “We dumped woodchips into that conveyor, and it fed it up into the drop chute. The boiler operator was spending 60 percent of his time in a loader feeding fuel when he could have been in the building, doing things, monitoring equipment, preventative maintenance, making sure the systems were running efficiently.”

Solution

Nick had purchased equipment from BE&E in the past and had spoken with our president, Dane Floyd, about an automated solution for feeding the boiler. Some years had then passed when then he saw a video about our SMART Containers. After gathering information from our website and other online resources, he decided to pursue this solution to solve the inefficiencies with the current setup, and he contacted BE&E.

“With a couple of tweaks and engineering ideas, it came together. We were on the same page from day one,” Nick said.

We soon installed an open-top SMART Container and an 18S SMART Conveyor™, which fed the boiler room.

Solution

Nick had purchased equipment from BE&E in the past and had spoken with our president, Dane Floyd, about an automated solution for feeding the boiler. Some years had then passed when then he saw a video about our SMART Containers. After gathering information from our website and other online resources, he decided to pursue this solution to solve the inefficiencies with the current setup, and he contacted BE&E.

“With a couple of tweaks and engineering ideas, it came together. We were on the same page from day one,” Nick said.

We soon installed an open-top SMART Container and an 18S SMART Conveyor™, which fed the boiler room.

Result

“When we did have the initial startup, we had a couple of issues, and first thing they drove out from Indianapolis all the way here to Cincinnati and got things set up,” Nick said. “Within 24 hours’ notice, we’ve either had someone on the ground, or we had some kind of situation rolling. That’s great.”

After BE&E addressed the problem, the system ran smoothly, steadily delivering fuel to the boiler and saving much of the boiler operator’s time.

Regarding BE&E’s SMART Conveyor™, Nick said, “It works really well compared to other ways of conveying wood waste.” And he added, “It’s very low maintenance, and the maintenance it does need is really simple. It’s running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. So, one year is really elongated in terms of what you use it for.”

“It’s very low maintenance, and the maintenance it does need is really simple.”

—Nick Bohlke, President of Manufacturing

Result

“When we did have the initial startup, we had a couple of issues, and first thing they drove out from Indianapolis all the way here to Cincinnati and got things set up,” Nick said. “Within 24 hours’ notice, we’ve either had someone on the ground, or we had some kind of situation rolling. That’s great.”

After BE&E addressed the problem, the system ran smoothly, steadily delivering fuel to the boiler and saving much of the boiler operator’s time.

Regarding BE&E’s SMART Conveyor™, Nick said, “It works really well compared to other ways of conveying wood waste.” And he added, “It’s very low maintenance, and the maintenance it does need is really simple. It’s running 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. So, one year is really elongated in terms of what you use it for.”

Finding solutions for every challenge.

Talk to us about your needs or challenges in material handling, storage, processing, and receiving. We are confident that our experienced team will create a profitable and efficient solution.

Finding solutions for every challenge.

Talk to us about your needs or challenges in material handling, storage, processing, and receiving. We are confident that our experienced team will create a profitable and efficient solution.