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BDC Systems Ltd and partner Edwards Engineering deliver hi-tech grain drying and processing plant to increase productivity and efficiency for Balgonie Estates Ltd BDC Systems Ltd, working closely with its long-standing partner Edwards Engineering, has successfully delivered a new grain drying and processing plant for Balgonie Estates Ltd at Southparks Farm, Glenrothes. Balgonie Estates now has a modern, productive and efficient hi-tech plant enabling it to increase the amount of its contract stored grain at the same time as retaining the highest levels of crop quality. “Our old plant was over 30 years old and we needed to increase capacity and throughput, plus upgrade our drying and processing
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equipment,” said John Drysdale, MD of Kingdom Farming which manages Balgonie Estates’ farming operations consisting of 1,800 acres of arable and storage contracts with various clients. “In particular we needed the capacity to manage an increasing amount of oats, not only from our own farms but those deemed as ‘reject crop’ from a local food processing plant,” Drysdale added. Mr Drysdale approached Edwards Engineering, a multidiscipline engineering firm with more than half a century of experience, to discuss his initial plans for the new plant as Edwards had already
successfully installed a Svegma dryer, supplied by BDC Systems, at his own Kilrie Farm. “Edwards Engineering was restricted to creating the new plant within the existing space of the old plant which would be dismantled. This was a challenge as it required an entirely bespoke design,” explained John Wilson, Area Sales Manager for Northern England and Scotland for BDC, a provider of complete grain plant solutions. “Edwards asked BDC Systems to get involved in the project design right from the initial site meeting.” Liaising closely with Edwards the design of the new
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plant was carried out by BDC, addressing changes to the design brief to cater for potential new business opportunities identified by Mr Drysdale and Balgonie Estates. “BDC has become a very important partner for Edwards over the 20 years the companies have worked together. Largely because of BDC’s ability to offer an extensive range of grain handling solutions as, unlike other providers, it is not constrained by the equipment available from just one manufacturer. This means that together we can deliver solutions that exactly meet the individual requirements of customers,” said Sandy Knight, Edwards’ Agricultural Manager. Numerous meetings took place and several draft proposals were presented to Mr Drysdale and the Balgonie Estates’ senior management team over a period of 12 months before a final design was agreed. Designed to dry crops at a higher throughput, the new plant has significantly improved productivity and efficiency; it consists of a large bunker area with a below ground 16m long trench intake conveyor from where the grain is transferred into the plant. The grain is handled throughout the new plant by ten Skandia Elevator H-Line 80tph conveyors and six Skandia H-Line elevators. The grain’s journey continues through the plant via a Cimbria pre-cleaner. From there the grain
