World Grain - October 2021 - 14

NEWS REVIEW
Cargill to buy Arkema's epoxides business
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, US - Cargill is acquiring
Arkema's epoxides business, giving Cargill end-to-end production
capabilities in bio-based plasticizers and polyols and
enabling the company to better serve its industrial customers
with nature-derived alternatives to traditional petroleumbased
additives.
The acquisition agreement includes a facility located in
Blooming Prairie, Minnesota, US.
" Industrial customers are increasingly searching for solutions
made without petrochemicals, especially in consumer
applications where potential concerns around toxicity and
sustainability continue to grow, " said Kurtis Miller, managing
director in Cargill's bioindustrial business. " Adding this
capability will allow us to innovate across the polyol value
chain, transforming our vegetable oil into highly functional
compounds that bring benefits like flexibility, durability and
heat stability to a wide range of industrial products. "
The Blooming Prairie plant specializes in epoxidized vegetable
oils. The facility's epoxide manufacturing process
combines soybean oil and other vegetable oils with hydrogen
peroxide, resulting in the oxidation of soybean/vegetable
oil. These specialty oils, or epoxides, are key components
for Cargill's existing portfolio of bio-based plasticizers
and polyols.
With
this acquisition of Arkema's epoxides business,
Cargill said it expects to gain full control of the production
Egypt to automate 22 wheat silos
CAIRO, EGYPT - IBM, in collaboration with ACME
SAICO, on Sept. 27 announced the automation of 22 wheat
silos in Egypt by the end of 2021 using IBM AI-powered
software.
The announcement comes as the Ministry of Supply and
Internal Trade plans to digitize the wheat supply chain and implement
governance systems on the country's strategic stock.
Using IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation and IBM
Cloud Pak for Integration, the new solution will allow full
automation and governance of all the steps of shipping, transport,
storage, and supply of the wheat silos.
Through this advanced technology, the automated platform
is engineered to collect data from different sensors that are
embedded in the silos.
These sensors will send near real-time quantitative analytics
of the wheat supply and stock status to the main platform
at the Ministry of Supply.
The Egyptian Holding Company for Silos and Storage
(EHCSS) will be able to monitor and store all information related
to the incoming shipments to maintain quality standards,
report accurate views of the stock in silos, as well as address
leakage in wheat silos extensively.
The system also is designed to help to better manage the
communication and coordination between different storage
points and mills.
14
" We are committed to expanding the wheat silos' automation
across the country, " said H.E. Dr. Ali El-Moselhi,
Minister of Supply and Internal Trade. " The automation enables
us to instantly monitor the wheat stock through a digital
platform, providing the needed visibility to secure the supply
chain. The platform, powered by IBM technology, ensures
efficiency, stock protection, in addition to addressing logistical
redundancies. "
Major General Sherif Bassili, chairman of the board of directors
at EHCSS, added: " After renovating and increasing
the number of silos across the nation, our goal was to build
a digital platform to connect all silos with the main center at
the EHCSS.
" Another goal was to automate the documentation processing
of the wheat supply chain and monitoring process of the
22 silos and storage points. "
Earlier this year, the launch of the pilot model for the
first automated wheat silo took place in Banha, Qualyubia
Governorate. Following the success of the pilot, the ministry
decided to expand automation to 22 silos before the end of
this year.
As part of the sustainable development strategy of Egypt's
vision for 2030, the government is planning to automate
400 silos, adding them to the wheat supply chain monitoring
system.
October 2021 / World Grain / www.World-Grain.com
process, transforming its commodity soybean oil into epoxides,
and ultimately, creating the bio-based plasticizers and
polyols used to make a broad range of products that support
the conveniences of everyday life, such as shower curtain liners,
tiles, carpets and furniture.
Additionally, Cargill said it expects the transaction to further
support its plastics, automotive, medical, furniture, flooring
and specialty chemicals customers with a broader portfolio
of bio-based solutions for applications like polymer and
lubricant modifiers, coalescing agents for paint and foam
for furniture.
http://www.World-Grain.com
World Grain - October 2021

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