Built on Legacy, Driven by Innovation: D&F’s Humble Beginnings and Cutting-Edge Conveyor Solutions

D&F Equipment Sales, a full-service equipment manufacturer and engineering supplier for the poultry, meat, and prepared foods industries, made a bold statement at the 2025 International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) with a completely reimagined booth. Designed to reflect both the company’s cutting-edge engineering capabilities and its deep-rooted history, the booth featured a fully operational conveyor system and an array of innovative equipment solutions. D&F Equipment Sales shared the booth with PartsXpress, a trusted provider of food transfer system components. Built on the foundation of the D&F legacy, PartsXpress specializes in immediate solutions, maintaining a strong inventory to ensure fast turnaround times for essential equipment. This seamless integration reinforced both companies’ commitment to providing innovative and efficient solutions to the food processing industry.

Honoring a Legacy While Showcasing the Future

With 3,500 square feet of purposeful design in the Georgia World Congress Center, every aspect of the D&F booth was created to facilitate meaningful conversations and showcase the company’s expertise. IPPE’s website describes the event as “a premier opportunity for industry leaders to connect, discover new solutions, and explore technological advancements.” For D&F, the expo was the perfect venue to generate new leads, strengthen existing partnerships, and reinforce its position as a leader in integrated material handling solutions.

As D&F Equipment Sales continues to grow due to its process-flow expertise, the company remains dedicated to honoring its roots. The company was founded over 37 years ago when Larry Fortenberry saw a critical gap in the poultry industry’s equipment and millwright services. Fortenberry’s vision, fueled by his toolbox and a relentless commitment to solving plant challenges, laid the foundation for what is now an industry-leading provider of custom-engineered solutions. To symbolize these humble beginnings, D&F’s booth prominently featured a 6-foot red toolbox—a tribute to Fortenberry’s original toolbox and the company’s foundation of doing Whatever it Takes. Additionally, visitors received a custom promotional item: a small metal toolbox with a magnetic closure, designed as a keepsake that reflects the company’s heritage of problem-solving and innovation.

A Fully Functional Conveyor System in Action

At IPPE, where many exhibitors showcase individual pieces of equipment, D&F Equipment Sales stood out by running a fully operational conveyor system. This live demonstration provided attendees with a firsthand look at D&F’s expertise in Process Engineering, Fabrication, and Service & Installation. The system was designed to highlight the versatility and efficiency of D&F’s solutions, including key components such as:

• ZTR Conveyors – Ideal for facilities with limited floor space, offering smooth directional changes.
• Accumulation Belt – Designed to index boxes one at a time for efficient workflow.
• Wash-Down Ready Elevator Conveyor – One of the only stainless steel, fully sanitary elevator conveyors available, capable of handling 200-pound loads at up to 30-32 cases per minute.
• Incline and Decline Conveyors – The ones featured at IPPE were set at a 30-degree angle to maximize space efficiency.
  Passive On/Off Conveyors – Featuring Intralox belts for smooth product transfer.
• Reject Conveyor & Table – Providing a seamless solution for product sorting and quality control.
• Mezzanine Showcase – A second-story platform demonstrating D&F’s capabilities in optimizing plant floor space, covered in Ramcoat, a durable, non-slip steel coating offered by PartsXpress

Highlighting the Elevator Conveyor: The Booth’s Star Attraction

Among the many features showcased at IPPE, the standout was D&F’s fully wash-down ready, stainless steel elevator conveyor. Sales representative Cody Winskey emphasized its significance: “While elevator conveyors aren’t new technology, this one is one of the only fully sanitary, stainless steel systems on the market today. It’s designed to handle heavy loads with precision and durability, making it an essential solution for food processing plants looking to improve efficiency.” At IPPE, the elevator conveyor demonstrated its ability to move 18-20 boxes per minute, with an expected capacity to reach 30-32 cases per minute in real-world applications. The conveyor’s robust construction and wash-down capabilities make it an ideal choice for plants requiring the highest sanitation standards.

To further illustrate the booth’s layout and equipment, D&F salesman Cody Winskey filmed a detailed walkthrough at IPPE. This video provided an in-depth look at each conveyor component, emphasizing how D&F’s engineering expertise translates into real-world plant efficiency. Wrapping up the video, Winskey says, “And everything you guys see here in the booth, including the mezzanine, all started with a concept that we created, and then went through our design, engineering, fabrication, and installation, all done by D&F.” D&F Equipment Sales remains committed to driving innovation in the food processing industry, something evident from the pride of the entire team and crew that helped this booth be a success. With a continued focus on custom-engineered solutions, a dedication to customer success, a rich legacy of excellence, and an unwavering commitment to doing “Whatever it Takes,” D&F Equipment Sales is poised for even greater advancements in the years to come.

About D&F Equipment Sales

D&F Equipment Sales is a leading equipment manufacturer and engineering supplier dedicated to providing innovative solutions for the poultry, meat, and prepared foods industries. With decades of expertise and a commitment to excellence, D&F takes pride in delivering custom-engineered solutions that optimize production and drive long-term success. For those who couldn’t attend IPPE, the new D&F website (www.dfequip.com) offers a closer look at the company’s capabilities, recent news, and opportunities to connect with the team. To view the full booth walk-through and see the equipment in detail, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSRumxPTnTo.