Newburgh Pelleting had a good track record in making pellets for animal feed, but they wanted to diversify into the new sector of wood pelleting.

The company approached the Materials and Engineering Research Institute. We conducted a project providing a qualitative understanding of raw material preconditioning – with the aim of reducing the production cost and improving the quality of wood pellets for use in combustion.

As a result of this work, the parent company Newburgh Engineering decided to separate the pelleting section into a new company, re-launching the original name, Sizer Ltd, which is internationally renowned across the pelleting industry. Based upon the findings of this work, Sizer could adapt their pelletising technology and equipment, leading to the development of new products, including the Sizer S compact pellet press. By using our engineering and research expertise, the new company now has a platform to enter international markets in the expanding biomass and recycling industries.

Abhishek Asthana from the Materials and Engineering Research Centre said, ‘Newburgh, and now Sizer, are an innovative and promising company with a will and determination to make things happen. Working with them on this project was very exciting experience for us.

‘We are very pleased at the pace at which they have applied this knowledge to create a new company and launch new pelleting products.’

Roger Pearson, managing director of Sizer said, ‘Sheffield Hallam worked with us in a very methodical and professional manner. Their engineering and biomass expertise helped us greatly in understanding the mechanics behind biomass pelleting as we expand our business into both domestic and key international markets.’

Project supported by Innovation Futures.