CBH celebrates machinery milestone, leading to a future of automation

The CBH Group recently announced the completion of its 500th portable conveyor belt, known as a grain stacker.

Matthew Newton, CBH country maintenance & engineering manager, says it’s an important milestone that is likely to lead to further improvements at receival sites.

“The 500th stacker is the first to be automated, giving the operator the ability to fully operate the stacker from a distance,” said Newton. “Although this innovation is in its earliest stages, it is our goal that it will enable CBH to receive grain to an open bulk head without the assistance of an operator in the field, improve the level of safety and be energy efficient.”

The CBH Group is the first Australian company to design and produce a grain stackers; the latest model is the first to be automated. This development has been 30 years in the making. The first prototype stacker was built in 1983.

“It was nicknamed Dino the Dinosaur by the operators on site, this was due the size of the stacker and how cumbersome it was to move around. The stacker was capable of 200 tph,” added Newton.

“This latest stacker weighs 18.8 tonne, has a boom length of 23 m and extends to a height of 9m and it has the capacity to run at 500tph.”

“We’re proud of this innovation and it’s important for CBH to strive for continuous improvements to meet current and future operational requirements, improve safety standards and manage its own energy usage.”
Visit the CBH website.

CBH grain Silo - Kwinana, Western Australia. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

16/09/2013: Foodbank wants your grain; US biofuels mandate; CBH moves into US grain market

Companies in the grain sector are supporting the industry commitment to donate 3000 tonnes of grain a year to Foodbank. Grain Producers Australia, Viterra, Cargill and Emerald Grain are donating to the cause.

Grain Trade Australia (GTA) announced the initiative at the Australian Grain Industry Conference in Melbourne last month.

A Grain Consultative Group that comprises representatives from all sectors of the industry has been set up to help facilitate donations. 

Read more...

An ethanol trade group and a cattlemen's organisation have differing opinions with regards to the US Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). 

The ethanol trade group is standing by its claim that RFS is working, but according to the cattlemen's organisation, federal volume mandate puts the beef industry on an unlevel playing field for the finite amount of corn that is produced.

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Australia's main grain marketer, the CBH Group has opened a new international office in Portland, Oregon, USA. 

Jason Craig, marketing and trading general manager said that trading grain out of Portland will allow CBH to offer US and Canadian wheat to key customers in the Asian region, to compliment Australian wheat grades in their flour milling process.

“CBH currently has a strong advantage in the Asian region and has well established relationships with end-users. We have offices in Hong Kong and Japan and key investments in the flour milling industry through Interflour,” said Craig.
Read more...

CBH grain Silo - Kwinana, Western Australia. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

13/09/2013: Vitol new face in grain world; Canadian crop science; Sahel food security situation

Vitol, a Dutch-owned energy and commodity trading company and the world's largest independent oil trader, recently took part in a port capacity shipping auction held by CBH. As a result of the auction,

Vitol has secured about 400,000 tonnes of capacity, emerging as a new player in the grain world.

Vitol announced plans to begin trading in global grain markets this year. 

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The Canadian Government is supporting new research in crop science that will be of great benefit to farmers. 

Working closely with Gerry Ritz, Canadian agriculture minister, Pierre Lemieux, Canadian parliamentary secretary and Dave Mackenzie MP, Oxford, Ontario announced that an investment of CAD$7 million for the Canadian Field Crop Research Alliance to lead a research project that will  help producers better compete in global markets.

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The FAO has recently warned that about 11 million people in the Sahel, Africa are still severely food insecure. Poor families have used up their food stocks and are now facing high food prices.

Despite an appeal to raise US$113.1 million this year to support almost 6 million vulnerable people in the Sahel, only US$19.4 million has been received.  

The FAO is now appealing to the international community in the hope of increasing funding to aid the most vulnerable farmers and herders in the region south of the Sahara.
Read more... 

yellow: Sahara; orange: Sahel; green: Sub-Saharan Africa (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

02/07/13: Strike at Australian grain handling cooperative; Egyptian wheat imports; India's seed saviour

Workers walked out of CBH's Kwinana operation, Australia over a pay dispute, marking the first stike at the cooperative since the 1990s.

Grain handlers are unhappy over a proposed 13 percent pay rise over the next three years. They claim this will mean Kwinana employees would be paid less than workers in other regions are are pushing for a 15 percent increase. 

However, bosses at the have told workers that the boom in Australian grain exports is over and workers need to realise economic times have changed since the last agreement was negotiated.
More information...

Egypt has officially requested help from France and Russian with grain imports and storage. After two years of political and economic upheaval, the world's top wheat importer is looking for overseas help to maintain its imports which support a subsidised bread programme.

France is still considering Egypt's request for help with grain imports and storage, the trade ministry said, but Market operators are sceptical about major French aid and the country is still considering the situation.

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My favourite headline of the day comes from the Guardian: India's seed saviour goes against the corporate grain.

Debal Deb is building a seed bank in India's Odisha state which has helped to preserve 920 varieties of indigenous rice using traditional methods. Deb hopes to help make farmers independent of large corporations and GM crops, and help secure their access to local seed varieties.  

View pictures...

Cereal (Photo credit: Bulsti)

17/06/2013: India can't stock food grains for more than a month; new grain analyser; monsoon boosts crop hopes

A recent report by the Committee on Public Undertakings, headed by Congress’s Jagdambika Pal, of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reports on the assessment of food grain management across the India.

The report highlights the states’ lack of capability to manage operational stock of food grains - a majority of which is wasted due to insufficient storage facilities. Out of 31 states and Union territories (UTs), the report says only eight of them have storage facilities available for 120 days. 

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Australia's CBH Group is piloting a new grain analysis machine that aims to take the human error out of visual assessments of wheat and barley.

The automated sampling system, EyeFoss has been eight years in the making and is now at a stage where it can be used as a grading tool to remove the subjectivity of quality tests.

Read more...

Monsoon rains have covered India, increasing the prospects for a bumper output for summer-sown crops such as rice, oilseeds and cotton.

The rains usually cover all of India by mid-July, but this year it happened on June 16, said a senior official at the India Meteorological Department.

Read more... 

English: Monsoon in south india (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

11/10/12: Anitox CEO; CBH appointments

Hello, 
We've got an employment themed blog today: 

• “This is a company with a very strong and exciting future,” says Dr Rick Phillips, newly-appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of US-based Anitox, a global leader in pathogen elimination, mould control and milling efficiency.  Commenting on his new role, Rick says, “I am delighted to have joined Anitox at a very exciting time for this dynamic business and look forward to leading the company through the next phase of its expansion.”  Rick joins Anitox from Merck Animal Health, where he was director of the company’s US Integrated Livestock Business Unit, a role in which his major responsibilities included the development and initiation of long-term poultry and swine business strategies, identification and implementation of business processes and the enhancement/alignment of people to drive sustainable growth.  More information...

• Australia’s leading grain exporter, CBH Grain, has announced a number of key appointments as part of a restructure of its export marketing team to better align with the significant changes occurring in local and global grain markets.  The restructure will see CBH Grain move to a model based on major geographic regions with each customer area led by a Regional Manager.  More information...

 

23/07/12: CBH; Nigerian flour; Australian Grains Industry Conference

Hello, 

• New senior level appointments at CBH.  Read more...

• Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc has announced a new organisational structure and a series of investments aimed at bolstering its strong market position in the Food and Agro-Allied sectors.  Read more...

• Australian Grains Industry Conference app now available.  Keep up-to-date with the session information during the conference, to be held 30 July - 1 August 2012.  Read more...

Flours (Photo credit: makatcheks)

Daily Digest 18/06/12: Evonik and Biomin expand; CBH gets Japanese tender; grasshopper plague in Russia

Hello,

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend.  Here's what's been going on while you were away.

Two of big companies are expanding their feed additive divisions:

• Evonik unveil new feed additive plants in Russia and Brazil.  Read more... 
• Biomin buys German company, MICRO-PLUS.   Read more...

Elsewhere,

• CBH has nabbed its first Japanese MAFF tender.  The Australian company will supply 36,060 tonne of MAFF ASW blend wheat, a blend of noodle and premium milling grade wheat, destined for east Japan for August shipment.  Read more...

• And finally, Birds may be Alfred Hitchcock's nemesis but in Russia a grasshopper invasion poses a major threat to the country's crops.  Watch video...

 What do you think...

Evonik Industries Logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Western Australia researches stored grain pests

The presence of pests in stored grain is an ongoing problem.   But help may be at hand as Western Australian research is expected to result in improved management practices and minimise the development of resistance to fumigants.

Cereal (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Conducted by the Department of Agriculture and Food and bulk handler the CBH Group, the research investigates the ecology of pests in stored grain and aims to help Australian cereal grain continue to meet market requirements, including zero tolerance to live insects in export grain.  Read more...

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