SHEFFIELD, Iowa – Two new products from Sukup Manufacturing Co. have been honored by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) as among the 50 outstanding innovations of 2016.
The award-winning products are the Mixed-Flow Grain Dryer and the Zero-Entry Commercial Paddle Sweep. The Mixed-Flow Grain Dryer combines the use of mixing/heating chambers with vacuum cooling technology to produce a dryer that removes moisture from grain more evenly and economically than other dryers. The Zero-Entry Commercial Paddle Sweep is a grain unloading machine that sweeps grain from large bins without requiring the operator to enter the bin.
The awards will be presented Feb. 14 at the ASABE Agricultural Equipment Technology Conference in Louisville, Ky.
“We’re very pleased and honored to receive AE50 Awards for these two products,” said Charles Sukup, president of Sukup Manufacturing Co. The recognition “underscores the emphasis our company puts on innovation,” he said. A record four products made by the company won awards last year – the Stirring Machine Gear Motor Delay, U-Trough Hanger Bearing, QuadraTouch Pro dryer controls, and SMART Loop dryer operation system.
The annual awards competition is sponsored by Resource magazine, published by ASABE, which is an international scientific and educational organization dedicated to the advancement of engineering applicable to agricultural, food, and biological systems.
To be eligible for an award, products must have been introduced and made commercially available between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2016. Products or systems nominated must be intended principally for use in the production, processing, research, storage, packaging or transportation of agricultural and food products, and have the potential for broad impact.
Following are profiles of the new AE50 Award-winning products from Sukup Manufacturing Co.
Mixed-Flow Grain Dryer
The Mixed-Flow Grain Dryer combines the use of mixing/heating chambers with vacuum cooling technology to produce a dryer that removes moisture from grain more evenly and economically than other dryers. The vacuum-cooling system recycles warmed air back into the dryer, which reduces the amount of fuel needed to reach the optimum drying temperature. Fuel savings may exceed 25% compared to traditional pressure-cooled cross-flow dryers. The mixing chambers allow more uniform drying of grain, and they are made of solid sheets instead of perforated material, which eliminates the need to sweep debris from hard-to-reach upper screens on traditional cross-flow dryers. The patent-pending design of the Sukup Mixed-Flow Grain Dryer allows for a single center unloading system, compared to two in competitors’ mixed-flow dryers. This new Sukup dryer can be ordered with gravity-flow or auger loading and with auger or drag conveyor unloading.
Zero-Entry Commercial Paddle Sweep
The Zero-Entry Commercial Paddle Sweep is a grain unloading machine that sweeps grain from large bins without requiring the operator to enter the bin. The sweep’s A-frame design provides horizontal rigidity that prevents the sweep from bending as it moves through grain and vertical rigidity that allows use in deeper grain. The A-frame design also helps prevent stalling in the event of a grain avalanche. Vertical loads on sweeps in large bins may exceed 5,000 lbs./ft.², requiring tremendous design strength to endure such heavy loads. There are three major benefits of this product: safety is vastly improved because the sweep is operated entirely from outside the bin, its patent-pending design allows it to be used in deeper grain than other sweeps, and its paddles provide a cleaner sweep than machines using augers, thus saving on labor costs.
Companies from around the world nominate products for AE50 awards. An international panel of industry-leading engineering experts select up to 50 products that best reflect engineering advancements for the agricultural and food industries.
Sukup Manufacturing Co. is headquartered in Sheffield, Iowa, and covers 1,000,000 sq. ft. of office, manufacturing and warehouse space. The company employs over 500 people, making it one of the largest employers in North Central Iowa. Three generations of the family are now active in the business.
Sukup’s product line includes on-farm and commercial grain bins, portable and tower dryers, centrifugal and axial fans and heaters, stirring machines, bin unloading equipment and bin floors and supports. Sukup also manufactures a line of material handling equipment that includes bucket elevators, drag conveyors and chain loop conveyors, as well as a line of steel buildings.
Sukup has six distribution centers located throughout the Midwest. Sukup products are sold throughout the U.S. and Canada, as well as in over 80 foreign countries.
