16/06/2017: Major silo order in Egypt completed by Cimbria

Cimbria silo plant in El Marashdah, Upper Egypt
Image courtesy of Cimbria

 23 large silo plants supplied by Cimbria to Egypt were commissioned and officially inaugurated by the President of Egypt, H.E Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, during a mammoth event in El-Marashda, near Luxor, on 14th May 2017. 

 This project is believed to be the largest order for silo plants ever made, comprising a total storage capacity of no less than 1.38 million tonnes of wheat, and with a contract value for Cimbria of more than 100 million US dollars. 

 Around 400 VIPs were gathered in an air-conditioned tent at the silo site where Egyptian President H.E. Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the Egyptian Prime Minister and 3 other ministers were present during the six hour event. The President headed the official opening of the silo, in addition to appearing via a video link in order to open 3 other silo installations and new infrastructure projects. 

 The President visited the control room and inspected the plant in operation as it received and discharged grain. Cimbria garnered huge praise in connection with the role it has played in the successful completion of the mega project on time. 

 With per capita consumption of around 250 kg/year, Egypt is a major grain consumer, as well as being the world’s biggest importer of wheat, with an annual import of 17 million tonnes of different grain products. Furthermore, local production takes place on 4 percent of Egypt’s rural land, primarily in the Nile Delta and in areas on the banks of the Nile all the way down to the Sudanese border. This results in a total production of 23 million tonnes of a range of different grain products. 

 The locations of the 23 plants stretch from the Mediterranean Sea and Sinai all the way down to Aswan, in addition to a plant that has been constructed in the Sahara desert 600 km west of Aswan, where an oasis provides water for wheat production. 

 The Government of Egypt selected the 23 sites, with priority being given to grain-producing and grain-consuming areas throughout the country where silos did not previously exist, in addition to extensive, newly reclaimed and cultivated desert areas where water has been made available for irrigation and new cities are being built – in the Sinai desert, for example. 

 In the past, the majority of locally produced grain was stored in open outdoor sack storage or bag storage facilities, with losses of up to 30% as a consequence. Moreover, handling this grain in bags has proved costly, as a result of which the Egyptian government decided to switch to modern bulk handling and fully enclosed storage silos in order to improve food security and minimise post-harvest losses. 

 One of the main criteria for awarding this huge contract to Cimbria was the company’s numerous reference plants in the Middle East and its ability to undertake the entire mechanical/electrical project on a turnkey basis, including architectural/mechanical and electrical design and engineering, in addition to the design and calculation of steel structures, silos and loads for all foundations and structures for each of the 23 plants. 

 Time was also a critical factor in the decision to award the contract to Cimbria, with its huge modern production facilities enabling Cimbria to deliver no less than 1400 containers with around 25,000 tonnes of steel and equipment within a period of just nine months, followed by approximately one year for installation. The project has been closely managed by Cimbria project management teams in both Denmark and Egypt. 

 Cimbria supplied all conveying equipment, cleaners, laboratory equipment, silos, electronic control units featuring SCADA/PLC, spare parts for threeyears of operation and delivery to Egypt. The project also included the supervision of the installation of equipment and electrical systems at all 23 facilities simultaneously. During the installation phase, Cimbria had up to 46 supervisors and managers working in Egypt. 

 Following installation, Cimbria conducted a training programme in which 20 Egyptian employees at each plant received instruction in operation and maintenance. Final capacity testing was performed prior to handing over the many new plants. Each of the 23 plants has a silo capacity of 60,000 tonnes, including conveying and cleaning facilities with a capacity of 200 tonnes per hour. Total silo capacity will thus amount to 1.38 million tonnes. All of the 23 silo plants have received grain from the current wheat harvest that began in April. 

 Cimbria’s turnkey project solutions are recognised worldwide for their ability to ensure the highest possible utilisation of essential grain crops whilst keeping losses to a minimum. These projects are undertaken by a project department in Denmark with a staff of 150 people. 

 12 of the 23 plants are for the government-owned Ministry of Supply and Home Trade. These plants will be used for locally produced grain and as buffer and intermediate storage facilities for imported wheat. The remaining facilities are for the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation and are installed at remote locations throughout the country, thus enabling farmers to deliver and sell locally produced grain. 

 Cimbria has delivered an almost uninterrupted sequence of grain facilities to Egypt during the last 25 years, and now has more than 60 operational reference plants boasting a total storage capacity of some 2.5 million tonnes. Since 2012, Cimbria has had its own sales office in Egypt offering full after-sales service.

Visit the Cimbria website here. 

 

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine Milling and Grain
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.

For additional daily news from milling around the world: global-milling.com