World Grain - June 2021 - 46

SOSLAND PUBLISHING
years
Control systems
provide data
that can be
used to analyze
the overall mill
performance
and optimize
the performance
of a
specific piece of
equipment.
" The sheer amount of data and information we have
available at our fingertips today is amazing, " Jansen
said. " When I first entered the industry, I would hear
people say that milling is an art, and I would say that
today it's evolved and is still evolving into a precise
science. When you look at what we can monitor, compared
to 30 years ago, it's pretty remarkable. "
The benefits of automation to the milling industry
have evolved and grown over time, Anderson said.
" In 1992, automation was about labor savings and
energy savings, " he said. " Today, we talk about automation
to drive food safety, such as being able to trace
product through the entire process. "
The future of milling
Given some of the dramatic technological advances
that have taken place in the last 100 years, many of
which couldn't have been forecast a century ago, it's
difficult to imagine what lies in store for the milling industry
over the next 100 years. One thing that's certain
is there will continue to be an increase in data collection
related to every aspect of the milling operation.
" Our vision leads us to imagine a milling industry
where the collection and management of data will be
increasingly more relevant, making it so that all decisions
are based on data collection and subsequent processing, "
Galli said. " The data will guide us through
milling management and compliance with parameters.
Today, we already have plants where it is possible to
change the settings of the roller mills, or reposition the
products inside the technological flow, fully automatically,
based on information received from the field, and
their relation to the filed data.
" The data will give us information on what raw materials
to buy based on what finished products needs to
be produced in the short and the long term, all with the
possibility of integrating this information with strictly
46
updated market prices. Basically, the data will guide us
to make the best choice based on the situation that has
developed, all in real time, because that will be another
crucial aspect. These aspects are then linked to the use
of new design tools, of both machines and plants, to optimize
costs as well as production times, always guaranteeing
the maximum quality over time. "
Birrer predicts that traceability and sustainability -
issues that have recently become high priorities in the
global milling industry - will remain " hot-button "
issues in the future and solutions will continue to be
developed to address mill performance in these areas.
" Blockchain technology may be used to track the
product from farm to fork, " Birrer said. " Also, the CO2
footprint will become a key sustainability indicator of
milling companies, putting pressure on the whole grain
value chain including grain handlers, millers, bakers
and the respective solution providers to make their processes
as efficient as possible. Digitalization will play a
major role in this transformation. "
Gwirtz believes an increasing number of customers will
demand transparency when it comes to knowing details
about every step in the flour production process, from
where the wheat was grown and harvested to all the steps
thereafter that are involved in creating the final product.
He believes milling companies are " going to get
pressure to pay more attention than ever to what goes
through their milling units " and that more milling
wheat will be purchased directly from the farmer.
While Anderson agrees that in the short term the
trend toward farmer-direct wheat purchases will continue
to grow, he foresees technology revolutionizing
how the wheat kernel's journey from farm to fork
is documented.
" With the right technology, we will be able to provide
the same traceability and the same ability of knowing
exactly where that kernel of wheat was grown, whether
it comes to us directly from the farmer, from a terminal
or a country elevator, " Anderson said. " That's where
the technology has to go. I still believe there will be a
fundamental place for the grain elevator in the supply
chain to be a part of our industry. "
Likewise, Jansen foresees great strides being made
in reducing the microbial load in flour as demands from
consumers and regulatory agencies increase.
" I think the expectation will be that all flour is food safe
- ready to eat, " Jansen said. " The industry will continue
to look for solutions to meet these demands, whether it's
treating wheat during the tempering process or treating
flour after it's milled. I think eventually all flour will be
treated in some fashion to make it food safe. A lot of work
is currently being done to come up with a solution. "
He noted that Siemer Milling has installed two heat
treatment lines for flour, bran, and germ to produce
June 2021 / World Grain / World-Grain.com
http://www.World-Grain.com
World Grain - June 2021

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