GRAIN HANDLING
Reaping the benefits A collaboration between Kilic Engineering and SEW-EURODRIVE has changed the game for grain handling in Australia. WITH THE AUSTRALIAN GRAIN industry experiencing record harvests, the performance of grain handling equipment has become increasingly important – it can make all the difference to an operation’s productivity levels during harvest. Agriculture’s contribution to the Australian economy – when factoring in all farm production inputs – accounts for an estimated 12 per cent of the gross domestic product, with the wheat industry alone valued at $8.5 billion. Despite bushfires, drought, COVID-19 and global trade disruption, the sector has seen substantial growth, especially in cropping. The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resources Economics and Sciences (ABARES) attributes the volume growth and improved productivity seen in cropping partly to the adoption of new technologies and management processes. The sector has also enjoyed back-toback bumper harvests. The 2020-2021 marketing year reported the second largest wheat crop ever on record. Forecasts predict the 2021-2022 season will fall just two per cent shy of that figure but achieve 25 per cent more than the five-year average. In fact, the September 2021 ABARES agricultural overview report determines that Australia’s total agricultural production will surpass the $70 billion mark for the first time due to a combination of high commodity prices and optimal seasonal conditions.
Threats to productivity Regardless of these favourable conditions, labour shortages and border restrictions have threatened agribusinesses’ ability to deliver on the bumper season. While the sector has lacked skilled workers for the past decade, demand for unskilled labour is now considerably elevated adding additional pressure on businesses looking to secure seasonal workers. The Federal Government announced a new agricultural visa in late 2021 but conceded that overseas workers would
unlikely be available for immediately upcoming harvests. In some instances, where labour had been obtained from Pacific nations, workers were unable to enter Australia due to differing state quarantine controls and caps. Disruptions to the global supply chain have also proven to be a serious roadblock in the availability of harvesting and commodity handling equipment and parts. Demand has surged in tandem with heightened cropping volumes, but many agribusinesses have gone without muchneeded equipment for lengthy periods.
Engineered to address challenges Since its inception 45 years ago, Adelaide-based equipment manufacturer Kilic Engineering (KE), has been building bespoke handling solutions that are explicit to Australian conditions and challenges. Craig Dennis, General Manager at Kilic Engineering says the founder of the company, Tony Kilic, is a mechanical engineer who had a vision to create hardworking machinery that would improve the safety, reliability and productivity of Australian materials handling operations. “That vision has been realised with KE’s expertise in providing solutions that are truly fit for purpose,” he says. The KE BunkerStacker agricultural equipment range exemplifies the company’s ability to tackle the pain points felt among grain handling operations. Designed for rapid intake, these self-propelled machines speed up the offloading of grain for storage in a userfriendly, safe way. “A lot of Australia’s grain is exported and the challenge during harvest season is to store this product until it can be shipped overseas. In warmer regions, the grain is usually stored in bunkers, which appear as big piles or stacks covered by large tarpaulins,” Dennis says. “Like the namesake, the BunkerStacker machines are built to make that process easy and efficient.
30 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: January/February 2022
A key shared feature of this equipment range is the discharge chute which can be manipulated to shoot grain in virtually any direction. This enables customers to build a stack that makes optimal use of their storage capacity.” The machines have been popular among grain handlers, farmers, and truck drivers alike because they are so efficient. Susan Collier, KE Operations Manager, says they’re designed to minimise spillage which is a known pain point. “The multi-directional chute and large bed ensures they can get the most grain into each stack without the need for sweeping and shovelling up spilled product,” she says. “Truck drivers delivering from the farms love the BunkerStackers because they have long, gently sloped ramps and provide a large target zone for the efficient dumping of grain. Drivers will go the extra mile to offload at a BunkerStacker because the more loads they can do, the bigger their pay packet.” While KE’s first BunkerStacker came to market in 1999, the equipment has had multiple upgrades since then. “It’s important to point out that not only is each machine unique and exclusive to every customer, but every iteration comes from listening to our customers,” Collier says. “We have post-harvest reviews where customers give us feedback on machine performance, and often they provide us with a wish list of features they’d like to see or have upgraded. Depending how viable these suggestions are, we will incorporate them into the next generation of equipment. We also meet regularly with our stakeholders to discuss new technology or changes to existing technology that what we could adopt to improve the equipment.” Often the primary objective of updating the technology is to improve the safety of the machinery. For example, the KE BunkerStackers have features such as hydraulic jacks, automated takeup
