World Grain - December 2012 - 17

A ﬂour art museum story | No. 7

newsreview
GrainCorp to upgrade rail infrastructure at Geelong
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — GrainCorp said on Nov. 23 that it has joined with the Victorian government and the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) to announce a A$5.6 million to upgrade rail infrastructure at GrainCorp’s Geelong grain terminal. GrainCorp is contributing approximately A$1.35 million up front to the project, with the balance to be funded by government, and the ARTC. Other exporters will provide a user contribution over the next four years. “We estimate that this project will allow up to 500 additional train movements to the port each year,” GrainCorp General Manager, Storage & Logistics Nigel Hart said. “This would remove the need for approximately 20,000 truck movements around Geelong and further aﬁeld.” Hart said the project, which involves a track upgrade and removal of signaling bottlenecks, was part of GrainCorp’s “game changers” program to deliver substantial improvements to rail efﬁciency at the port. Beneﬁts of the upgrade include: • Higher weight limits allowing signiﬁcantly more grain to be carried per train. • Up to a 50% increase in the proportion of grain arriving at the port on rail. • A substantial reduction in “tipping time,” freeing up additional capacity and increasing throughput. • Automation of signaling to allow 24hour rail operation at Geelong and improved ability to reduce grain train turnaround times by 12 hours. “This investment beneﬁts Victorian grain growers by removing bottlenecks and giving their grain more efﬁcient access to international customers. It also beneﬁts the other exporters who use the port, as it allows capacity to be accessed more efﬁciently,” Hart said. Hart acknowledged the Victorian government’s commitment to working with business and the grain industry to encourage more grain onto rail — as demonstrated by its positive response to the Grain Industry Logistics Taskforce and its support for other key rail projects around the state. “The Victorian government has been very proactive and open to exploring ways to make Victorian grain as competitive as possible,” Hart said. “We look forward to working with them to deliver other recommendations of the taskforce.” GrainCorp increased the productivity of its rail by 40% in the past four years. This project is an important step in the company’s target of driving a further 40% increase to productivity.

The living also enjoy the bread of the dead.
The ﬁrst of November is traditionally the Christian day of remembering the dead. Nowhere is this tradition more alive and colourful than in Mexico. The Día de los Muertos, "day of the dead", is a cheerful time when deceased family members are welcomed back to join the living for a night. Houses are cleaned, and each family puts up a lavished sacriﬁcial altar. The route from the cemetery to the house is marked with yellow cempasúchil ﬂowers so the dead won’t lose their way. And what do you oﬀer a visitor from the afterlife when they arrive? Pan de Muertos of course, "bread of the dead". The round loaves are decorated with crossbones and placed on the altar. Once the dead have sated themselves on the aroma, the living eat the bread, because like traditional baked goods the world over, it’s extremely delicious. www.ﬂour-art-museum.de www.muehlenchemie.de
For more information, see Page 106.

Carr’s Milling profits up 30% in 2012
CARLISLE, UNITED KINGDOM — Carr’s Milling Industries reported on Nov. 12 a 30.5% increase in proﬁt before taxation for the 2012 ﬁscal year. The company reported proﬁt of £13.1 million ($20.8 million) for the year, compared to £10 million in 2011. Revenue was up 8% to £404.1 million, and EBITDA increased 19.6% to £18.4 million. Agriculture revenue was up 7.7% with proﬁt before tax (including contribution from associate and JVs) up 15.6%. Performance reﬂects high demand for low moisture feed blocks, particularly in the U.S., impact of acquisitions, and strong organic growth from retail and machinery. “Our agriculture businesses are likely to be the main source of growth in 2013,” said Chris Holmes, chief executive ofﬁcer, said. “The drivers of growth are the demand for Carr’s proprietary products for livestock across all markets as well as the expansion of the retail, machinery franchise, and fuel depot networks in the U.K.” In agriculture, the business is increasingly focused on proprietary products developed to improve livestock performance and proﬁtability. Following signiﬁcant investment and research in this area, Carr’s is experiencing strong demand for its products in North America, Europe and New Zealand, as well as in the U.K., and expects this trend to continue. The trading environment for agriculture during the period was broadly favorable, and although input prices were volatile, growth was primarily driven by feed block both in the U.K. and overseas, and retail and machinery sales in the U.K. In Tennessee, Gold-Bar Feed Supplements LLC, Carr’s 50% joint venture, is now in full production of high moisture feed blocks and is expected to contribute positively to revenues and proﬁts for 2012-13. In April, full production of AminoMax, the patented rumen bypass protein, started at the 50% joint venture plant at Watertown, New York, U.S., after early engineering issues were resolved. The high quality of the product has been well received by U.S. dairy farmers and the plant is on track to achieving proﬁtable sales for the current period.

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World Grain - December 2012

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