Page 126 - AMEFT Journal 2021-4

MARKET & NEWS
Mill E3: Revolutionizing milling industry
At the heart of the Mill E3 lie more than 15,000 data points collect- ing information on all aspects of the production process. It is the volume of data being analyzed, along with the cutting-edge application of blockchain technology, that will enable the most efficient, transparent, and consistent production possible, and therefore the highest quality product.
The new plant, built for the UK’s larg- est miller Whitworth Bros. Ltd., is situ- ated in the north of England at Whit- ley Bridge in Yorkshire. The opening of the first Mill E3 is a key staging post in the journey to the SmartMill. The data generated and analyzed at the Whitley Bridge plant will drive the evolution of milling technology from the current data assisted mill into a plant capable of using its own process parameters in a closed loop to optimize production. This development of the self-adjusting mill will be the precursor to the Smart- Mill.
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Redefining future digital services
The opening of the Mill E3 is the culmination of nearly two decades of close cooperation between Bühler and Whitworth Bros. According to Ro- man Sonderegger, Head of Business Unit Wheat & Rye at Bühler, the Mill E3 has today turned from a vision to reality. The Whitworth Bros. mill is set to impact the entire milling industry by redefining future digital services. “This is a very significant project for Bühler that allows us, for the first time, to gather so much new data on the mill- ing process, while also giving us the opportunity to collaborate with Whit- worth Bros. as we work closer towards the creation of the SmartMill,” says Sonderegger.
“Bühler is excellent at building flour mills and we are pretty good at running them,” explains Mike Peters, Manag- ing Director of Whitworth Bros. “We can feedback observations in real time
conditions in which we are dealing with client expectations and produc- tion pressures. Running and maintain- ing a mill is very different from building one.”
The Mill E3 in action
The concept of the Mill E3 centers on the idea of using modular “plug and play” installation of milling equipment to cut the installation time by up to 30%. It also cuts building costs by re- ducing the volume of the mill. Mills can significantly reduce their running costs thanks to energy efficient equipment and making full use of digital services.
The Arrius fully integrated grinding system, a key component of the Mill E3, provides lower energy consump- tion, faster installation, along with the highest food safety standards, reli- ability, and optimum grinding perfor- mance. At the Whitley Bridge plant, the Arrius grinding technology has been used at scale for the first time.
(Source: Bühler AG)
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