Posts in category: NEWS

The plumbing in your house.  The road under your car. The intermediate bulk containers (IBCs) you use in your process. 

All important.  All easily overlooked. 

Pipes, highways, and IBCs have been around for a long time doing crucial jobs, and fortunately, somebody else thinks long and hard about them.  And just like pipes and roads, using “any old IBC” can prevent an unseen risk.

“Recently a pharma company bought some IBCs from a low-end supplier and when they got them there, the side of the of the IBC was a bunch of pieces and scabbed in,” according to Bob Luebbe, Senior VP of Sales at Custom Powder.  Instead of being neat and tight, the IBC was like cobbling together small squares of drywall.

Sure, it’s a wall…but not a very good wall.

Plumbers, city planners, and IBC manufacturers like us also ask an important question:  How are you using this? We approach this like a tailor making a suit. We help you figure out the right size, what to consider depending on the product, and how our IBCs can stay flexible for future projects.

“We don’t just say, ‘Hey here’s a few standard sizes we offer…’ We make them custom fit to whatever size they’re going to need,” said Luebbe.  We understand that this is an important part of your process that is typically feeding a critical, and expensive, machine. “If we’re using a compression sleeve on a 10-inch diameter valve and one valve compresses the gap all the way and the other one doesn’t…you’re gonna be losing product.”

We don’t want that to happen any more than you do.

The IBC is often thought of last in the process, but it’s really the workhorse of your operation.  Luebbe reminds us that “whether it’s filling, blending, lifting, or discharging… The IBC is the thing that’s getting moved around the most and takes the biggest beating.”

That kind of thinking is where our niche is. 

We don’t just understand IBCs, we understand your process.  We’re thinking about the width of your hallways, the height of your doors, and the product going into (and out of) your IBCs.  We’ve even thought long and hard about the best place for the placard so every employee can clearly see what’s in the IBC. We are going into details most companies have forgotten about to make this as easy as possible for you.

Our hopper design angles go from 30 to 70 degrees, undergo drop, vibration, lifting, and pressure tests.  They meet cGMP and UN codes, and we know dozens of ways to customize to fit your unique operation.

Many things have changed since the last time you purchased a IBC: 

·       You can get more than 20 channels on TV 

·       Phones are no longer plugged into walls

·       And IBCs now have better valves and even better finishing

We know you have many things to think of, and IBCs might not be high on the list…but the good news is it’s always high on our list.  We’re thinking way ahead of the things you might not know could be a challenge, and we’d love to have the opportunity to make this easy for you.

We also know you’re going to shop around.  Please do. Just remember:

Not all IBCs are created equal.

We’d love to talk with you about IBCs or any current containment challenge you’re facing at ISPE in Las Vegas next week. We’ll be in Booth #516, or if you’d like us to look you up (or if you won’t be attending), please call us at (417) 868-8002 or fill out the short form below:

At Custom Powder, we have tremendous respect and appreciation for novel solutions to complex problems, as well as the people who create them.

Changing human behavior is, perhaps, the most complex of problems. That’s why we loved this short presentation from Dan Pink on emotionally intelligent signage. The basis of Dan’s presentation is that a sign is more effective if it caters to or encourages someone’s emotions.

https://youtu.be/yuEO6zpEaxI

This presentation got us thinking about what we do here at Custom Powder. For many of you, your business depends on being able to do something better, cleaner, and with more efficiency than the status quo.

You need a better mousetrap.

There is an age-old question in business about whether it’s better to build or to buy the tools and technology that you need. More often than not, that question can be answered by looking at the focus of your own business and where the money is best spent. If you’re a pharmaceutical company, your time and money are better spent in R&D rather than in building process or containment systems.

The other point in Dan’s talk that we find interesting is the PechaKucha platform itself – the idea that we should all talk less and show more.

There’s a lot of talk that happens in the world. There isn’t enough show.

Maybe you’re a pharma company that needs to keep your process sterile. Or maybe you’re in the cannabis industry and dealing with a wealth of unknowns. Whatever the case, we’re here to help.

Sure, we could bore you with hours of talk, but that doesn’t help you get your job done. So instead, we’d prefer to get down to brass tacks and face your challenges head-on, because that’s what matters to you, and it also matters to us.

When you’re ready to show the world what you can do, give us a call. Let us build you a better mousetrap so that you can focus on what you do best.

Dylan Armstrong came to Springfield, Missouri, by way of Delaware almost five years ago. His plan was to play college football, but as we all know, sometimes life has a way of changing the best-laid plans. A close friend had moved to the area and convinced Dylan to move to Springfield to learn a trade. His work ethic and willingness to learn helped him turn that invitation into a career with us here at Custom Powder Systems, and now he travels the world to help our customers.

In The Beginning

Dylan’s story isn’t unfamiliar to most of us. But how he handled the changes that life threw his way makes him an asset to Custom Powder. After moving to Springfield, he found work through the Labor Ready employment agency. Dylan saw an opportunity and began to teach himself how to weld “a little bit. Not very well. Just a bit of the basics.”

According to a 2018 report by The ManpowerGroup, trades workers such as welders, electricians, and mechanics are more in demand than ever before. In fact, over 45 percent of employers report having difficulty filling these roles. What causes a headache for an employer creates an opportunity for someone who is willing to learn.

Joining Custom Powder

Dylan had been playing softball in a local league where he met Tyrell, who worked at Custom Powder. Tyrell had overheard that Dylan was looking for a job, and encouraged him to take a weld test.

“I took the test, and they were willing to keep me. They said that I would have to start at the bottom, but I could work my way up. I didn’t complain at all. I was willing to do whatever it took to get in the door.”

At Custom Powder, Dylan found the opportunity to hone his welding skills. Now, two and a half years later, he’s one of our trusted service technicians.

“Now, instead of building the equipment, I’m learning how to run and program all of the equipment we build and also learning to read and understand schematics. I get to learn all the ins and outs of every piece of equipment.”

Moving On Up

In Dylan’s words, “the sky’s the limit” when it comes to his next steps. But right now, he’s enjoying the life that being a service technician offers him. Recently, he had the opportunity to travel to Italy to repair some equipment for one of our customers.

The task was to fix some cracked welds and to get the job done in five days. Dylan figured on eight different jobs that needed to be done, but upon arriving in Italy he found a much bigger job. Twenty welds, in total, needed his attention.

“They gave me a week, so we still got it done. I guess they trust me a little bit,” he says, with a chuckle.

In his downtime, he was able to explore the surrounding area of Spoleto, Italy.

“It was probably the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen. At night I walked around and saw the castles, bridges, and the town itself. The town sits on a huge hill, with stone roads and buildings that are thousands of years old.”

The Secret of Dylan’s Success

If you’ve read anything about us, you’ll know that there’s no secret to why people succeed at Custom Powder – they’re willing to put in the work. Dylan is no exception to that rule.

“I started as a helper. I wasn’t even a welder. I was pushing a broom. But I wanted to learn.”

In just over two years, Dylan has gone from pushing a broom to traveling the world, fixing problems and interacting with customers. From training on reading blueprints to metallurgy, and every step between Custom Powder is willing to invest in the future of its employees. If you or someone you know sounds like a good fit for our team, we’re always on the lookout for exceptional people.

With Memorial Day fast approaching, we’re pausing to remember those who have served and given their all. We’re also celebrating the freedom that their sacrifice has given us. One of the most popular ways of doing that is by getting together with friends and family, and firing up the grill.

Here at Custom Powder, we’re always looking for ways to make things better, to do something a little bit different, or to build a custom solution to complicated problems.

But we like to have a little bit of fun while we’re doing it.

For example, we recently had a cardboard smoker contest here at the offices. In the photo below, you’ll see Bryan Lin‘s entry.

That got us thinking about better ways to grill, and apparently we’re not alone. The Internet is brimming with grilling suggestions, smoker hacks, and even DIY for those of you without your own grilling apparatus.

Here are a few of our favorites.

The Clay Pot Smoker

Food Network’s Alton Brown is a big fan of this method, and has a video where he explains why it works so well. But the idea itself is simple — Take a couple of large, clay pots, put a grill grate into them, and prepare for something delicious. Even better? There’s no charcoal required. Read the full how-to over at Make.

The Bitty-Q

You ever find yourself out at the lake, enjoying a cold one, and then shocked to find that there are no grills available? We’ve got a solution for you. All it takes is a drink can, a couple of charcoal briquettes, and a wire coat hanger. The King of Random has a video tutorial.

Washing Machine Grill

We love seeing innovative ideas, and this one is pretty great.  Sachin Mohiputloll shows us how to take an old washing machine drum, and turn it into a world-class BBQ grill. Bonus points to Sachin for his use of a cutting wheel, because we love using power tools.

The BBQ Table

We’ve all seen it. Everybody gets together for an afternoon of food and fun, but there’s one person left tending the grill. Usually removed from the rest of the festivities.

But what if the table was the grill? That’s the question that Jag Grills answers. The company combines a BBQ grill and fire pit with a six or eight-sided table to make sure that everybody can be in one place.

Bonus: High-Tech Brisket

Could the world’s best brisket come from an aluminum smoker, built by some Harvard students? It might sound crazy, but just wait until you hear how they made it.

The behemoth weighs in at over 300 pounds, and it eliminates all of the problems that smokers have. There is a refueling chute, preventing the need to open the smoker. Temperature control is handled by a Raspberry Pi computer, connected to fans. Oh, and the team developed the contraption in the dead of winter. Not exactly the ideal time to try to smoke a notoriously-difficult cut of meat.

The whole story is fascinating, and worth a read over at Wired.