Coffee Bean Container Transfer Systems for Steinweg Group
A container-to-container transfer setup for coffee beans to speed up shipping container turnaround. Delivered as an SVL20 stationary vertical loader plus a 20ft tipping station with a food-grade hopper and safe access tower. Read the full project story below.
Recorded project results
Faster transfer with less product loss
VAKO combined two custom systems for Steinweg’s coffee-bean process. The results below belong to this project.
75–85% shorter turnaround
The transfer took minutes, not hours.
Under 0.1% product loss
Less spillage during transfer.
70% less labour
One operator manages the transfer.
The challenge: return the shipping container sooner
Steinweg needed to move coffee beans out of a shipping-line container while keeping the product available for later storage and production. The container-transfer step and the subsequent discharge into a conveyor had to work as one process. The project also had a short lead time and required safe operator access around a vertically positioned container.
For bulk logistics operations, the flow between container, storage and production is as important as the machine itself. See VAKO’s approach to bulk logistics and export.
The solution
Two systems engineered as one workflow
VAKO supplied a stationary SVL20 vertical loader for 20ft containers and a separate stationary tipping station. The tipping table positions a container at approximately 50 degrees. Its food-grade finished hopper directs coffee beans onto a conveyor, while a stair tower gives operators access to the top of a vertically positioned container.
The SVL20 stationary vertical loader provides a dedicated loading point. The tipping station handles the next transfer step. Together, they let Steinweg release the shipping-line container and manage when the beans enter the downstream process. Learn more about vertical container loading.
Recorded for the Steinweg project
Before and after the new transfer process
| Aspect | Previous transfer method | VAKO transfer system |
| Container turnaround | 2–3 hours | 20–30 minutes |
| People per transfer | 3–4 people | 1 operator |
| Product loss | Estimated 2–5% | Less than 0.1% |
Built and commissioned with Steinweg
After design approval, VAKO built the system, disassembled it for transport and reassembled it with Steinweg on site. Joint testing and fine-tuning brought the equipment into stable daily use. The recorded comparison shows substantially shorter turnaround and less labour. The previous product-loss figure is an estimate; the new process recorded less than 0.1% loss.
The project demonstrates how VAKO integrates container handling, food-contact finish, operator access and a conveyor interface in one customer-specific process.
The Steinweg installation
Need to transfer a sensitive bulk product?
Share your product, container flow, available space and downstream equipment. VAKO can engineer the interfaces into one workable handling process.
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