How toll processing works
You supply the material, we process it to your specification and ship it back. D&A Granulation provides toll dry granulation, pelletizing, milling, screening, blending and packaging from our ISO 9001:2015 certified, FDA-registered plant in Lakewood, NJ.
What toll processing is
Toll processing (also called toll manufacturing) lets a company use someone else's equipment and team for one step of its production. You keep ownership of the raw material and the formula. The toll processor charges for the processing work, not for the material.
Who uses a toll processor
- Companies that don't have the equipment in-house, such as a roll compactor or pellet mill
- Teams scaling up a new product who want to prove the process before buying equipment
- Producers who need extra capacity during busy seasons
- Suppliers whose customers want a dust-free, free-flowing form instead of a fine powder
What we can do with your material
- Dry granulation by roll compaction: densify dusty, low-density powders into free-flowing granules
- Pelletizing: form powders into durable pellets on a 100 HP California Pellet Mill
- Milling: reduce particle size to your target spec
- Screening: remove fines and oversize on Sweco and Kason screeners
- Blending: homogenize powders in 100 cu ft ribbon blenders
- Packaging and repackaging: bags, drums, boxes, gaylords and super sacks
How a project runs
- Tell us about the material. Send the material name, an SDS or spec sheet if you have one, the target form and your volume.
- Feasibility and quote. We review the material against our equipment and rooms and come back with a process recommendation and a quote.
- Trial run. We process a small quantity so you can confirm particle size, bulk density and handling.
- Production. You ship the raw material in. We process it, check particle size on sieve screens, test bulk density and package it to your format on calibrated scales.
- Ship back. Finished material ships to you or directly to your customer.
What to send us
- Material name (trade name or chemistry) and an SDS
- Current form and the target: granule size, pellet size or bulk density
- Estimated annual volume and batch size
- Packaging format and any food-grade or FDA requirements
- Your timeline
Frequently asked questions
What is toll processing?
Toll processing means you supply the raw material and a processor like D&A runs it through its equipment to your specification, then ships it back. You keep ownership of the material and the formula; we provide the equipment, the people and the quality system.
How is toll processing different from contract manufacturing?
In toll processing the customer supplies the raw materials and pays for the processing step. In contract manufacturing the manufacturer usually buys the inputs and sells you a finished product. D&A works on a toll basis: we process customer-supplied material.
Who owns the material while it's at D&A?
You do. Your material stays your property from the moment it arrives until it ships back, and it is tracked by lot under our ISO 9001 quality system.
Can I run a small trial before committing to production?
Yes. Most new projects start with a trial run so you can confirm the particle size, bulk density and handling before scaling up.
Will you sign an NDA?
Yes. We regularly sign NDAs before receiving formulation details, and customer materials and formulations are never shared.
Where is D&A located, and who do you work with?
D&A Granulation is in Lakewood, New Jersey. We work with customers across the United States and some international customers, in chemicals, plastics additives, nutritionals, food ingredients and agriculture.
What's the minimum batch size?
It depends on the service. Granulation, pelletizing and blending start at around 750 lbs; milling, screening and repackaging can start at around 500 lbs.