Schenck Process have just secured two major contracts for Redler mechanical conveying equipment for use in ports in Liverpool and Jordan.
The contract in Liverpool is for Peel Ports, an extension to the Animal Feed Storage facility valued at several million pounds.
Schenck Process are acting as the M&E contractor for the bulk materials handling equipment and this will be interfacing with the existing system and supplying new high capacity 800t/ph chain conveyors, a long high level belt conveyor plus a MaxiStore and reversing shuttle conveyor complete with the site wiring, controls, installation and commissioning.
The project in Jordan is for the new grain terminal at the Port of Aqaba in Jordan. The contract valued at £4 million is a significant award with this being the third Grain Silo project secured in the past 12 months within the Middle East region. The order is for five packages including the chain conveyors, belt conveyors, belt and bucket elevators, magnetic separators and bulk weigh scales with other business opportunities available within the project for Schenck Process.
Money, money, money, must be funny - talks this week with major South Korean importers suggest Korea has a strong preference for U.S. corn as long as it is competitively priced.
U.S. Grains Council officers are in Asia this week meeting with longtime customers, addressing concerns about the U.S. short crop in 2012, and discussing the outlook for next year. Korea was their first stop. Korea imports 60 percent of its feed grain needs and has traditionally sourced the lion's share from the United States. Korean imports from other sources have soared in 2013. As of March 14, corn imports from the United States had sagged to 352,000 metric tons, vs. more than 2.4 million tons at this time a year ago. The reason is all down to price.
"Last year because of price, we had to import corn from [other sources]. I hope that this year the United States will produce enough corn to feed this country," said Jong Tae Han, chairman of the Korea Corn Processing Industry Association.
"We are willing to pay a premium for U.S. corn because of the high U.S. corn quality. We also appreciate the United States as a trading partner. We consider the United States a reliable supplier and friendly nation. Unfortunately, the price gap in 2012 was much too large," he added.
Korean buyers are united in their appreciation of U.S. corn quality and the reliability of the United States as a supplier. They made it clear that they were as anxious as U.S. farmers for U.S. yields to return to normal in the coming year.
