Büttner Energy and Drying Systems GmbH: Four new drum dryers for Highland Pellets LLC.

New order for Büttner: The specialist for energy and drying systems will deliver four new drum dryers to the American pellet producer Highland Pellets LLC. Büttner convinced the Arkansas-based company with a practical conversion project and its many years of expertise in drying technology.

New business partnership, modern contract conclusion via video conference, from top left to bottom right: Dirk Koltze (President Buettner Energy and Drying Systems North America LLC), Andreas Klug (Managing Director Büttner), Gottfried Bluthardt (Sales Manager Büttner), Tom Reilley (Chairman Highland Pellets), Stephen Rice (Director of Engineering, Highland Pellets), Dirk Homann (Managing Director Büttner)

3D layout of the new order: Four Büttner drum dryers, divided into two groups - open spaces in front and behind the dryers mark the locations of the existing energy plants

New order for Büttner: The specialist for energy and drying systems will deliver four new drum dryers to the American pellet producer Highland Pellets LLC. Büttner convinced the Arkansas-based company with a practical conversion project and its many years of expertise in drying technology.

At the end of June both cooperation partners signed the supply contract for the new plant, which will be installed in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Here Highland Pellets has been operating a plant for the production of wood pellets since 2017, which are mainly supplied to the European market. The total of eight existing dryers - four pre-dryers and four main-dryers - from another supplier did not achieve the planned capacity, so that replacement with new equipment was necessary.

Büttner, known for its high-performance and reliable drying systems for pellet production, has already supplied numerous dryers to US customers. Decades of experience as well as technical innovation also stabilized the Krefeld company's high reputation in this market. This expertise paved the way for Büttner also in this current project: The four existing energy plants in Pine Bluff will be connected to four new, identical, directly heated drum dryers type 4.2 x 24 R.

The aspect of sustainability is also taken into account by the new equipment: “The new high-performance drying technology […] will significantly improve production volumes, quality, reliability and ensure we remain in full compliance with our air permit obligations”, says Jeff Vanderpool, CEO of Highland Pellets LLC, about the new project.

"We are pleased that Highland Pellets has chosen us as a new partner and is convinced of our expertise", says Andreas Klug, Managing Director Büttner.