The partner in this project is a well-known Indonesian manufacturer of konjac products, a company with a unique background founded in Indonesia by Japanese entrepreneurs. By combining rigorous Japanese technical consultancy support with the advantages of local Indonesian raw materials, the company has achieved a high level of technical maturity in konjac manufacturing. Its core product is konjac rice, developed for the Japanese and international health food markets, aiming to meet modern consumers'needs for low-calorie, weight-control, and high-satiety diets.

As orders from the Japanese market have grown steadily, the existing drying capacity has become insufficient to support long-duration continuous production. As a result, the customer began seeking a food drying equipment solution that could ensure consistent product quality while offering flexibility for future capacity expansion.

Konjac rice is a highly challenging material to dry in food processing. Due to its small particle size and slightly sticky surface, inadequate equipment design can easily lead to material clogging, uneven agitation, or insufficient hot-air convection during the drying process.

These issues not only reduce drying efficiency but may also result in unstable final moisture content, directly affecting product shelf life and export quality. For food manufacturers primarily serving the Japanese market, the stability of the drying process is closely tied to brand trust and long-term partnerships.

As demand in the health food market continued to expand, the customer decided to add a second machine to increase production capacity. However, several specific technical challenges were encountered during konjac rice production:
● Extremely small material size: The fine particles of konjac rice tend to become lodged in the gaps of conventional rotary drums, obstructing hot-air circulation.
● Sticky physical properties: The inherent stickiness of konjac rice causes it to agglomerate during drying, making it difficult to achieve uniform tumbling with standard rolling mechanisms.
● Strict moisture content control: The customer required precise reduction of moisture content from 30% before drying to a final standard of 8% to ensure proper storage quality.

The entire communication and R&D process lasted over one year (starting in 2022), with the customer's Japanese technical consultants invited to participate in the final acceptance inspection to ensure the equipment fully met the high standards of Japanese engineering requirements. This project did not adopt a standardized, off-the-shelf equipment configuration instead, multiple engineering optimizations were carried out based on the actual drying behavior of konjac rice.

To address the issue of extremely small particles easily clogging ventilation openings, the team redesigned the internal structure of the rotary drum, allowing hot air to consistently penetrate the material bed and maintain effective convection. At the same time, considering the tendency of konjac rice to adhere during drying, the engineering design enhanced the agitation mechanism, enabling the material to tumble evenly inside the drum and preventing agglomeration that could compromise drying quality.

In addition, by reconfiguring the air ducts and hot-air flow direction, thermal energy was more effectively delivered to the core area of the drum, further improving overall drying efficiency and process stability.

To meet the specific drying requirements of konjac rice, a hot air rotary drum dryer was provided with three key customized engineering adjustments:
1. Added mesh screen design: Prevents fine konjac rice particles from falling into or becoming lodged in gaps, ensuring smooth hot-air penetration and convection.
2. Installation of lifting blades: Addresses the stickiness of konjac rice by forcibly dispersing the material during rotation, achieving uniform 360-degree heat exposure.
3. Optimized airflow direction: Redesigns the airflow pattern so that hot air is directed straight into the interior of the drum, maximizing drying efficiency.

The success of this project was built on deep technical trust and a long-term cooperative relationship. As early as 2016, the customer had already purchased Tsung Hsing (TSHS) conveyor-type fluidized bed drying equipment. For the current konjac rice capacity expansion project, the customer demonstrated an extremely rigorous approach during the evaluation phase:
● Technical data and validation: Tsung Hsing provided detailed batch test data and invited the customer to conduct on-site trial runs and factory inspections.
● Multi-party professional verification: Through long-standing trust established via an intermediary trading partner, combined with professional evaluations and final acceptance by the customer’s Japanese technical consultants, the equipment was verified to meet high international standards.
● Precise matching of physical characteristics: Konjac rice is sticky and extremely small in size. By combining drum rotation with efficient hot-air circulation, the hot air rotary drum dryer keeps the material continuously agitated during operation, effectively preventing localized overheating and eliminating blind spots commonly associated with uneven drying of fine particles.

For the customer, introducing this equipment was not only a solution to immediate capacity constraints, but also a strategic step toward establishing a stable production foundation capable of supporting future growth in the global health food market.

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