World Grain - February 2008 - 43

MILLINGOPERATIONS

associated costs such as labor and fuel.
Time to load and unload wheat must
be minimized. Timing of shipments becomes a critical factor as transportation
vehicle utilization and storage costs, as
well as risks, are scrutinized. The complete cost of wheat to the mill cannot be
accurately determined without assessing
the transportation costs and their impact
on the cost of wheat to the mill. The
number of transportation vessels is limited and may not be growing at the same
pace as shipments. As with production
choices, those owning transportation assets may select to carry those products
with greatest return on the vessel and
resources.
MILLING IMPACT
Price of wheat delivered to the mill is
critically important, but it cannot be just
any wheat; it has to be the right wheat.
It has to be the right wheat for the mill
unloading, cleaning, conditioning, milling process being utilized and customer
base being served.
Removal of a particular type of dockage or foreign material not observed locally from an imported wheat shipment
may or may not be possible with an existing cleaning system. With up-to-date
equipment and flexible design, it may be
possible to remove such material. However, identifying the problem and making the necessary changes can be a technical problem which bears some cost.
Quality of the finished product is determined most often by the local customer, but that too is changing. It is important for the miller to figure out what
the bakers or food processors need and
how to quantify those characteristics and
translate those back to wheat selection
and their milling process. Preferences
may vary by country and region within
a country. Despite the world "flattening," we all have cultural differences
and preferences are to be respected and
preserved.
To remain competitive, the mill operative or mill manager must determine
his or her customer's needs, design the
mill process to handle the type of wheat

needed to meet those needs, and be able
to identify the wheat source to minimize
risk as well as material cost.
Your wheat supply may well extend
beyond the confines of your local production. Success depends on your ability to learn and communicate about the
global wheat situation and how it imWG
pacts your mill.

Dr. Jeff Gwirtz is a tenured associate professor
in the Department of Grain Science and
Industry at Kansas State University. Gwirtz is
also chief executive officer of JAG Services Inc.,
a consulting company serving the grain and
milling industries. He can be reached by e-mail
at jgwirtz@ksu.edu.
We want to hear from you - Send comments and
inquiries to worldgrain@sosland.com. For reprints of
WG articles, e-mail reprints@sosland.com.

SATA KE

Satake Corporation UK Division
requires a

SALES ENGINEER
The Satake Corporation, a global organization who supply
the Cereal Milling Industry, are looking to enhance their
Sales Team with an experienced Sales Engineer who will
actively promote machine sales, spare parts and customer
services to clients throughout the UK and Ireland.
The successful candidate will be qualiÀed to degree level,
have a solid background in an engineering environment
and a proven sales track record. Knowledge of the Cereal
Milling Industry will be beneÀcial but not essential, as full
training will be provided.
A full clean driving licence is essential.
The salary and beneÀts will be commensurate with this
important position.
If you are interested in the position, have the required
qualiÀcations and the ambition to succeed, please send
your resume (CV) together with a handwritten letter and
current salary details to:
The Personnel Manager, Satake Corporation UK Division,
PO Box 53, HorsÀeld Way, Bredbury Industrial Park,
Bredbury, Stockport, Cheshire SK6 2FG , England.
www.satake.co.uk
For more information, see Page 86.

www.World-Grain.com / World Grain / February 2008

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World Grain - February 2008

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