Pulp and paper mills depend on the continuous movement of large volumes of material. Wood chips, bark, biomass and other bulk materials need to move efficiently between receiving, storage and processing areas to support reliable mill operations.
BID Canada designs and manufactures custom material handling equipment for pulp, paper and wood fibre processing facilities. Our team works with mill owners, engineering firms and project partners to develop equipment around material characteristics, required capacity, facility layout and operating conditions.
Based in Woodstock, New Brunswick, BID provides engineering, fabrication and material handling expertise for new installations, mill expansions and equipment upgrades throughout Eastern North America.
Material handling requirements can vary considerably throughout a pulp and paper facility. Wood chips and bark behave differently from many conventional bulk materials. Moisture content, particle size, bulk density, material flow and required throughput can all influence how equipment should be designed.
BID develops material handling equipment around these requirements and the surrounding mill infrastructure.
Our pulp and paper material handling capabilities include:
Conveyors provide the connections between receiving, storage and processing areas throughout pulp and paper facilities. BID designs and manufactures custom belt conveyor systems based on the material being handled and the requirements of the application.
Required capacity, conveyor length, belt width, incline, loading conditions, material characteristics and surrounding equipment can all be considered during the engineering process. For new installations, conveyors can be developed as part of a larger material handling system. For existing mills, BID can also engineer equipment to integrate with established infrastructure and processing equipment.
Wood chips are a fundamental raw material for many pulp and paper operations, making reliable chip handling an important part of mill infrastructure. Depending on the facility, chips may need to move between receiving areas, screening equipment, storage piles, bins and downstream processing systems.
BID can develop conveyors, transfer points, chutes, bins and supporting structures around the volume and characteristics of the wood fibre being handled. Equipment can be developed for new systems or integrated into existing mill layouts where space and surrounding infrastructure create additional design considerations.
Pulp and paper operations also generate and process bark and other wood residuals. These materials may need to be collected, transferred, stored or directed toward other processes within the facility.
BID can design material handling equipment for bark, wood residuals and other biomass materials, including conveyors, chutes, bins and hoppers. Each system is developed around the characteristics of the material, required capacity and destination within the mill.
Wood residuals have become an increasingly important resource for industrial facilities. Bark, wood fibre and other biomass materials can be used as fuel or directed toward other products and processes, creating additional material handling requirements within the operation.
BID develops bulk material handling equipment to move biomass between processing, storage and energy systems. Material characteristics, moisture, required throughput, storage requirements and the surrounding environment can all influence equipment design.
Every transition between conveyors and processing equipment creates an important point within the material handling system. BID designs and fabricates custom chutes and transfer components to help direct wood chips, bark, biomass and other bulk materials between equipment.
Chute geometry, material flow, equipment arrangement, wear and maintenance access can all be considered during the design process.
Transfer equipment can be incorporated into new systems or developed as replacement components within an existing mill.
Bins and hoppers provide receiving, storage and controlled discharge points throughout pulp and paper material handling systems. BID designs and fabricates custom bins and hoppers around material characteristics, required volume, discharge requirements and surrounding equipment.
Components can be developed as part of a new material handling system or engineered to integrate with existing conveyors and mill infrastructure.
Pulp and paper mills are complex facilities that often operate for decades, with equipment and processes changing throughout the life of the mill. Increasing capacity, replacing aging equipment or modifying an existing process can create the need for new material handling infrastructure.
BID works with customers to develop equipment around existing mill conditions. This can include replacement conveyors, new transfer equipment, structural modifications, guarding and other fabricated components. Our engineering team considers available space, surrounding machinery, existing structures, installation requirements and ongoing maintenance when developing equipment for retrofit applications.
BID combines engineering and fabrication at our facility in Woodstock, New Brunswick. Keeping these capabilities closely connected allows our engineering and manufacturing teams to collaborate throughout a project, considering how equipment needs to perform as well as how it will be fabricated, transported, installed and maintained.
Our capabilities include custom fabrication, machining and assembly, along with engineering support for individual components and larger material handling projects. Where practical, equipment can also be preassembled before shipment to help reduce work required during installation at the mill.
Pulp and paper is closely connected to the broader forest products industry. BID’s experience with sawmills and wood processing facilities provides our team with an understanding of the challenges associated with moving wood fibre and residual materials in industrial environments.
As part of McDonough Manufacturing, BID is also connected to more than a century of experience serving the forest products industry.
That combination of material handling, fabrication and forest products experience provides a strong foundation for working with pulp and paper operations.
[
Canada has a long history as a major producer of pulp, paper and other forest products. The sector continues to evolve as mills improve efficiency, develop new products and find additional uses for wood fibre and residual materials. Modernization, biomass utilization and the development of new forest-based products are creating new opportunities throughout Canada’s forest sector.
Reliable material handling infrastructure remains an important part of connecting raw materials, processing equipment, storage and energy systems within these facilities.
Material handling equipment provides the connections between processes throughout a pulp and paper facility. BID works with customers to develop those connections around the realities of the operation.
Whether the requirement is a replacement conveyor, a new wood chip handling system, biomass equipment or multiple components for a larger mill upgrade, our team can develop equipment around the material, capacity and site requirements.
Planning a mill upgrade, equipment replacement or new material handling system? Talk to BID about the materials you need to move, required capacity, existing infrastructure and project requirements.
