Category: News + Insights

Our Corporate VP of Service Mia Ivetic was featured on A Broadcast for Manufacturers podcast

The purpose of this show is to share knowledge, have fun and bring diverse, yet important topics in the manufacturing space to the forefront. Please listen to the episode here:

Breaking Barriers in Manufacturing – with Mia Ivetic

Uzelac Industries Implements Organizational Changes in Leadership

Milena and Ranko Ivetić promoted to Corporate Vice President positions

Greendale, WI (March 30, 2023) – Uzelac Industries, a leader in the design and fabrication of rotary drying systems for two decades, is pleased to announce organizational changes to their leadership team. Effective immediately, Milena and Ranko Ivetić have been promoted to Corporate Vice President positions. This change reflects their investment in Uzelac Industries ownership and their membership on the Board of Directors.

The change provides a framework for updating their titles as they progress through different roles in the organization. For now, Milena will continue her role as Service Manager and Ranko his role as Supply Chain Manager. In addition, Danella Uzelac has also become part of the ownership team and acts as a Director on the Uzelac Industries Board.

About Uzelac Industries, Inc

Uzelac Industries is a family-owned company based in Greendale, WI that has been a leader in rotary drying systems since 2003. Originally comprised of two operating divisions: Industrial MetalFab Specialties (Poja Sheet Metal) and Duske Drying systems. Together, these companies have over 40 years of experience in rotary drum dryer manufacturing. Uzelac Industries is committed to the core values of these two organizations shared: Integrity, Customer Satisfaction, and Innovation. Uzelac Industries has drying systems all over the world in many diverse industries.

Uzelac Industries Announces New President

Greendale, WI, December 2 – Uzelac Industries, a leader in rotary drying systems for almost two decades, announced today the appointment of Michael Hobbs as President of Uzelac Industries. For the past five years, Hobbs has been a core member of the Uzelac Industries leadership team as the Vice President and General manager. Hobbs is preceded by CEO and Founder, Michael Uzelac.

“We’re all very excited to have Mike take on the role of President,” said Michael Uzelac, Chairman of Uzelac Industries. “He has been a pleasure to work with and has played a vital role in the growth of our business. I’m confident he’s the right person for the job.”

During his time at Uzelac Industries, Hobbs has formed and maintained valuable relationships with partners, vendors, customers and employees. He has overseen day-to-day operations and has been an integral part of the company’s expansion in recent years.

Hobbs has expressed his excitement for the future of the company saying, “I am excited for this opportunity to grow and guide the Uzelac team as we prepare for continued success in the future.”

Hobbs brings an additional 27 years of diverse management and business experience from companies including, Siemens Building Technologies and Rockwell Automation. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Milwaukee School of Engineering. Outside of work, he enjoys hunting and spending time with family.

No poop for you: Manure supplies run short as fertilizer prices soar

CHICAGO, April 6 (Reuters) – For nearly two decades, Abe Sandquist has used every marketing tool he can think of to sell the back end of a cow. Poop, after all, needs to go somewhere. The Midwestern entrepreneur has worked hard to woo farmers on its benefits for their crops.

Now, facing a global shortage of commercial fertilizers made worse by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, more U.S. growers are knocking on his door. Sandquist says they’re clamoring to get their hands on something Old MacDonald would swear by: old-fashioned animal manure. Read More

A Uzelac Rotary Drying System can help turn your manure into a Grade A fertilizer! Call us today!

Single Pass Vs. Triple Pass Rotary Dryer – Understanding the Differences

Rotary dryers are a versatile option for reducing moisture in a product. They are used with a variety of materials across a wide range of industries. Some of the novel ways our customers use rotary dryers to help repurpose materials that used to go to waste, include:

• Turning poultry bedding into fertilizer
• Turning municipal sludge into fertilizer
• Drying and sterilizing dairy bedding for reuse
• Drying hemp to prolong storage life

Uzelac Industries produces two types of rotary drums for our rotary drying systems—single pass and triple pass. In this blog post, we will explain the differences between the two to help you decide which type will work better for your drying requirements.

Single Pass Drum for Rotary Dryer

Single pass drums consist of one cylinder internally flighted. The drum rotates at a constant speed and product moves in one direction along the drum from inlet end to outlet end while being showered through an air steam with a large cross-sectional area. This drum mechanism is better at handling larger volumes of product without choking out the airflow. If you need to dry dense material, the single pass rotary dyer is the right choice.

Single pass drums have greater flexibility in flight design, helping us optimize shower pattern to spread material more evenly across the air stream. Another option we have in flight configuration for single pass drums is adding spiral flights in different patterns throughout the drum. These flights act like a screw conveyor and, depending on the orientation, can be used to either increase or decrease retention time.

Triple Pass Drum for Rotary Dryer

Triple pass drums consist of three concentric flighted cylinders nested inside of each other. The drum rotates at a constant speed and product moves in a serpentine path through the three cylinders. Product enters the inside of the inner cylinder and travels from inlet end to outlet end. When it gets close to the outlet end, the product hits the headplate at the end of the intermediate cylinder and changes direction, passing between the inner cylinder and intermediate cylinder and travels back toward the inlet end. Once it gets to the inlet end, product hits the headplate at the end of the outer cylinder, changes direction, and travels back toward the outlet end, between the intermediate cylinder and outer cylinder.

Triple pass drums are ideal for handling light materials and products that are sensitive to higher temperatures. This dryer mechanism can run at a lower temperature and has a higher air velocity due to the reduced cross-sectional area between the cylinders. Triple pass drums are more expensive up front but are more efficient and tend to have a lower cost of operation. This is because these drums run at a lower temperature, leading to less fuel consumption, and typically have a smaller drum drive since product is evenly dispersed between the three cylinders.

Another benefit to triple pass drums is that they have a smaller footprint, usually around 20% shorter than the equivalent sized single pass drum. If space is very limited, we also offer a shorter, larger diameter version of most single and triple pass drums, called a big belly drum. Big belly drums allow for an increase in drum volume without an increase in length.

When you need a reliable drying solution, our rotary dryers get the job done. We serve customers in many industries. Talk to us about your requirements and we can guide you to choose between single pass and triple pass rotary dryers. Contact us online or send us an email.