GOING WITH THE GRAIN: STORING AND HANDLING MADE EASIER WITH THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT

Going with the grain

storing and handling made easier with the right equipment

Louise Dodds-Ely

Supporting secure food storage: Cimbria builds its first port silo complex in Egypt

Cimbria is increasing its massive presence in Egypt with a recent order of a huge silo complex at Port Said, the Egyptian city at the entry point of the Suez Canal. The silo complex consists of eight silo bins with a capacity of 12,500 tonnes each and will be used for the secure storage of wheat.

The city of Port Said in Egypt is now getting its first silo complex for secure storage of imported wheat. Cimbria has been present in Egypt for more than 30 years and knows the Egyptian market very

well. In fact, 95% of all silo complexes in Egypt — with a total storage capacity of 2.5mt (million tonnes) — has been delivered by Cimbria. However, the silo complex at Port Said is the first Egyptian port silo complex from Cimbria. With the population increasing by 2.5% every year, there is a great need for safe storage complexes in the country:

“The 100,000-tonne silo complex for Port Said will be an important contributor to secure food storage in Egypt. Therefore, we are very proud to support the Egyptian government’s efforts in securing safe and sufficient food for the growing population of Egypt with this order,” explains Sami Salah El Din, Regional Director of Cimbria in Egypt.

Every year, the Government of Egypt imports around 9mt million tonnes of wheat from countries like Russia, Ukraine, France, America, and Australia. A significant share of the imported wheat is used to produce 300 million pieces of the traditional Egyptian flatbread balady daily. Balady is an important part of the everyday diet for the population of 100 million people in Egypt. Additionally the private sectors are importing around three million tonnes of wheat for white flour.

Port Said’s new silo complex includes grain bins, conveyor systems, fully electronic control system, and loading equipment for railways and trucks. It is designed with state-of-the-art technology and the operation of the complex will require onsite training for the operators.

“The complex is a strategically important part of the Egyptian government’s aim of building safe stockpiles of grain and wheat reserves as a withstand to fluctuations in market prices due to future market developments,” says Sami Salah El Din.

The construction of the new silo complex in Port Said is done with local labour and will be managed with onsite supervision from Cimbria. The work started in February this year and is expected to be finished within two years. The funding of the complex is cofounded by the GOE & OPEC Fund for The General Company for Silos and Storage (GCSS).

ABOUT A/S CIMBRIA Cimbria is a world leader in industrial processing, handling, and storage of cereals and seeds, as well as animal feed, food, and other bulk products. Cimbria works closely with its customers to design, manufacture, install, and service customized solutions, individual machines, and complete turnkey systems. Cimbria is a global brand owned by AGCO Group.

ABOUT AGCO

AGCO is a global expert in the design, manufacture and distribution of agricultural machinery and precision ag technology. AGCO delivers customer value through its differentiated brand portfolio including core brands like Challenger®, Fendt®, GSI®, Massey Ferguson®, Precision Planting® and Valtra®. Powered by Fuse® smart farming solutions, AGCO’s full line of equipment and services help farmers sustainably feed our world. Founded in 1990 and headquartered in Duluth, Georgia, USA, AGCO had net sales of approximately $11.1 billion in 2021.

Ten metal silos and new flat store begin operating at the Port of Tilbury’s Grain Terminal

NEW SILOS AND FLAT STORE HAVE COMBINED CAPACITY OF 36,000 TONNES

The Port of Tilbury’s Grain Terminal in the UK has completed major construction works with the commissioning of ten, 30-metre-tall, steel silos and a flat store with a combined storage capacity of 36,000 tonnes.

The metal silos will be filled and emptied using a new 650 tonne per hour transfer conveyor system. The conveyor also serves as an automated filling system for the 16,000-tonne flat store which has a direct delivery system to two customer flour mill sites. Once fully operational — scheduled to happen this month (September), the combined silo and flat store facility returns the terminal’s total on site storage to 100,000 tonnes.

Works are also under way to replace the concrete silo and this is due for completion in December 2023. The new concrete silo will add a further 34,000 tonnes of automated storage, underpinning the grain terminal as the UK’s largest import/export grain handling facility.

Peter Ward, Commercial Director at The Port of Tilbury said: “We are extremely pleased to start the commissioning of our new metal silos and high-speed conveyor system. Coupled with the construction of the concrete silo, the Grain Terminal will be back to full capacity on one site this year.

“Our terminal is a key facility in the South-East of England and an essential part of the UK agricultural supply chain for imports and exports and benefits from the full multimodal services at the Port of Tilbury including river barge transportation into central London.”

The Tilbury Grain terminal has been in operation for over 50 years and is a key strategic facility in the South-East of the UK for the grain import and export markets handling over two million tonnes of product from around the world. Grain is a key commodity in the UK food supply chain for a number of uses, most notably within the flour milling and bakery industries. The terminal also operates a monthly coastal shipping service from Tilbury to its sister port in Kirkcaldy, Scotland for Carr’s Milling.

ABOUT FORTH PORTS/PORT OF TILBURY Forth Ports Limited owns and operates Tilbury, alongside seven other commercial Aerial view of the terminal, showing the ten steel silos, conveyor system, flat store and the ground construction works for the concrete silo.

ports on the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Tay: Grangemouth, Dundee, Leith, Rosyth, Methil, Burntisland and Kirkcaldy.

The Port of Tilbury is the number one UK port for forestry products, construction materials, paper, grain, recyclables and warehousing space. The port has a strong market presence in bulk commodities, ro-ro, cars and cruise vessels. The port’s London Container Terminal handles a mix of short and deep-sea services, is the UK’s number four port for containers and has the greatest reefer (refrigerated container) point connectivity in Europe. Tilbury’s strategic location makes it a natural point for distribution, with nearly 20 million people living within 75 miles. Serving the UK’s market, the port offers customers excellent transport links to and from the UK’s capital and across the South East where over 50% of the population live and work. The port is a diverse multi-modal hub, covering around 1,100 acres (850 acres and the London Distribution Park, in addition to the Tilbury2 site) and is well positioned to access the M25 orbital motorway and the rest of the UK’s national motorway network. In addition, there are direct rail connections within the port and dedicated barge facilities.

*The fire at the grain terminal was in July 2020 and damaged the silo tower and some other equipment. No one was injured.

For over 50 years, AGI Tramco has held a reputation for designing and producing reliable, heavy-duty equipment that can withstand severe processing applications. The complete line of industrial conveyors are designed to handle a variety of materials at competitive industry prices. With increasing demands for safe operation, rugged construction standards, and design flexibility, firms continue to look to AGI Tramco for their bulk-material handling solutions.

Top of the line versatility and durability have gained AGI Tramco widespread acclaim across multiple industries. AGI Tramco’s

engineered-to-order conveyors are highly customizable and can accommodate unique plant layouts and material handling requirements. Every conveyor is individually designed to meet the customer’s requirements for performance. This level of customization ensures success regardless of the application. From simple grain or bulk material handling operations to more complex oilseed processing facilities, AGI Tramco is guaranteed to have a conveying solution to meet the customer’s unique requirements.

A proven combination of engineering, component selection and manufacturing excellence make AGI Tramco conveyors an ideal choice in bulk handling applications. The Model RB™, Bulk-Flo™ or Model G™ all possess versatility that is unmatched across various applications and industries. After considering material properties, required capacity and specific operating conditions, AGI Tramco experts can recommend the most efficient and costeffective bulk-handling solution. Each conveyor can work as part of a complete material handling solution, or individually as the customer requires.

The AGI Tramco Model RB™ conveyor is specifically designed for the handling of soft stock or materials that are easily

crumbled or broken, such as seed, feed, pellets and other fragile materials. All components are jig welded to ensure their interchangeability and are checked for precise fit by the strict AGI Tramco 100% inspection policy. The Model RB™ is built standard with 10-gauge construction. The U-shaped trough is available in widths of 9”, 12”, 14” and 16”. Its ‘total quality process’ means that customers can rely on years of quiet, trouble-free performance from the AGI Tramco Model RB™ conveyor.

The AGI Tramco Bulk-Flo™ is a heavyduty chain conveyor that can easily handle the most challenging materials such as wet and sticky products, changing material sizes and densities, and abrasive or corrosive materials. Offering a wide variety of possible configurations, the Bulk-Flo™ can tackle inclines up to 90°, support multiple inlets and outlets and curved conveying applications. The AGI Tramco Bulk-Flo™ can be designed in L-Path, S-Path, Loop or Closed-Circuit configurations. Even when space is limited and product elevation is required, the Bulk-Flo™ chain conveyor is the most reliable and ideal choice for transporting bulk products.

The Model G™ En-Masse Conveyor is designed to handle the most extreme applications ensuring uncomplicated

solutions for years. All conveyor sections are pre-assembled on a level 215ft fixture, match-marked and dowel-pinned for field assembly. With proper rigging practices, intermediate sections can be assembled and shipped in multiples of up to 40ft. lengths to save on field time.

AGI recently supplied the material handling equipment for a pea protein processing plant in the United States. AGI Tramco supplied a Bulk-Flo™ L-Path conveyor with multiple inlets for rail receiving, a long Bulk-Flo L-Path conveyor with a discharge height of eight metres and a short Model G™ conveyor to transfer peas from rail receiving. A Model G™ conveyor with multiple discharges is used to fill several hopper-bottom storage tanks. A Bulk-Flo™ S-Path conveyor with a discharge height of 16.7 metres is used to reclaim the pea storage hopper tanks and to transfer them to the processing plant. All conveyors were specified as food-grade. The unsurpassed quality and rugged construction of AGI Tramco conveyors series assures years of dependable service even in the most severe conditions. DCi