What is Bulk Handling and what is Unit Handling?
What are the differences between bulk handling and unit handling, both in terms of definition and applications? To understand how products and solutions may vary according to the handling of different materials, it is vital to take a step back and cover the basics of the terms.
Bulk handling, also known as bulk material handling, encompasses the design of equipment and machinery employed in the handling of dry materials such as coal, sand, gravel, clay, minerals, cement, salt, chemical, grain, flour, stones and such. It can and is therefore used in pretty much all industrial sectors where vast quantities of dry materials need to be moved from one place to another: from coal and lignite mining to cement, from tunneling to power plants, from ports to salt and fertilizers etc…
On the other hand, unit handling aims at moving (handling) various items or unit formats that can be handled independently even when they are transported in large quantities or are significant in dimension. Usually, unit handling equipment includes conveyors of various kinds that are used in different types of applications, but it always requires that the unitized cargo could be individually identified, handled if necessary, extracted or transported independently.
Rulmeca Group’s core business focuses on solutions for both bulk handling and unit handling. Since its foundation in 1962, the brand has increased his skills and experience, becoming one of the biggest leading companies in the global materials handling industry. It is especially interesting that, while initially focusing its production only on bulk material handling applications, starting from 2013 Rulmeca has introduced its range of unit handling rollers, motorized pulleys and components to the market.
When it comes to bulk handling, Rulmeca offers a unique range of premium belt conveyor rollers/idlers, motorized pulleys, fabricated pulleys and other components for the bulk handling industry. The fields of application of Rulmeca’s bulk material handling solutions are virtually endless: coal and lignite mining, cement, quarries, tunneling, power plants installation, ports, salt and fertilizers, sugar plants, recycling and demolition, crushing and screening. All products by Rulmeca are designed to work flawlessly even in the most extreme conditions and are currently used worldwide for the handling of loose bulk materials for the production/extraction of chemicals, fertilizers, cement, minerals, coal, steel, energy.
More specifically, premium solutions by Rulmeca for bulk handling are an integral part of industrial processes such as:
- Coal mines, iron mines, potassium mines and other minerals
- Brown-coal opencast mines
- Steel plants
- Coal power plants
- Cement industries
- Refineries
- Chemical and fertilizers industries
- Salt plants and sugar plants
- Ports
- Quarries and Concrete plants
Rulmeca’s catalog of solutions for unit handling includes rollers, motorized pulleys, 24V Drive Rollers and modules for dynamic storage and to respond to the always dynamic requirements of packaging and palletizing and warehousing, food and beverage processing, distribution centers, industrial automation, airport logistics, postal and parcel handling, guaranteeing maximum flexibility and versatility, operational improvement, reliability and customized solutions able to satisfy specific requirements.
