In 1959 André Taupin invented and patented the flexible mechanical feeder as a solution to effeciently convey whole grain wheat and wheat flour. Taupin created many strategic industrial alliances in the following years to allow for mass adaptation of his technology. Some of these initial allegiances were with the companies of Lundell, John Deere, and Toprac.
A contract with the newly formed company Transitube pushed the flexible mechanical feeder into international usage, and eventually led the industry to colloquially refer to this type of feeder as a Transitube, even when it was produced by other manufacturers. Transitube set up subsidiaries and sales representative networks around the globe.
The original design of the flexible mechanical feeder quickly won the praise of industry insiders as it demonstrated an efficiency and simplicity that were valuable assets in the increasingly technological world of agricultural production. The reputation of these feeders created new demand in other industries, including in the chemical, pharmaceutical, food and plastics industries, along with environmental applications such as water & wastewater treatment, and flue gas cleaning.
In addition to the creation of the flexible mechanical feeder, André Taupin invented the silo discharger with an arch breaker, whose development was entrusted exclusively to Sodimate for applications within water & wastewater treatment and flue gas cleaning. This device facilitates the discharge of products contained in silos into the flexible screw conveyor as well as into big bags using anti-bridging agitation technology.
Sodimate SA was created in 1980 with a focus on developing and marketing equipment for the discharge, feed, and conveying of bulk products based on the technology of the flexible screw conveyor and arch breaker. With its silo discharge and screw feeder technology, Sodimate SA created new applications and equipment for storage, slurry mixing, as well as engineering turnkey solutions.
The history of the modern bulk handling systems industry originated with the innovations of Taupin, and then went through mass market integration under the efforts of several key international companies, one of which is Sodimate. Sodimate is proud to be an integral part of the industry’s progress and success.
