June 15, 2015

 

Van Aarsen completes turnkey solutions for ultramodern feed mill in Sweden

 

Press Release

 

Van Aarsen completed construction of the most modern feed mill in the world at the southern port of Kalmar in Sweden.

 

This new, state-of-the-art plant was commissioned by the Kalmar Lantmän cooperative and its realization - from concept to completion - represented the largest ever order in the 66-year history of Van Aarsen International.

 

Growing demand

 

Built to replace two existing facilities in the region dating back to the 1960s, the ultramodern feed mill has been constructed to meet the burgeoning demand for feed in the expanding chicken, pork and cattle industry sectors in southern Sweden. The €50 million investment brings about massive improvements in terms of flexibility, efficiency, hygiene and cost-savings in feed production. The new, fully automated feed mill now has a capacity to produce 100 tonnes of feed per hour on five dedicated lines.
 

Concept to completion

 

Proposals for construction of the new hyper-modern Kronan feed mill in Kalmar were put forward in 2009 and Van Aarsen - on the back of its long experience in the feed milling industry - was immediately among the front-runners to take charge of the plant's entire construction from concept to completion.
 

Construction was completed on schedule and without interruption between April 2012 and April 2014, with Van Aarsen responsible for the realisation of pre-fabricated concrete structures and for the installation of plant, processing lines and building-engineering systems, all this being achieved in line with meticulous just-in-time planning.

 

The Kalmar Lantmän feed mill came on-stream in 2014 and after being broken in over a period of several months is now operating at full capacity, and so consolidating its position on the Swedish animal feed market. For Van Aarsen, the completion of this major project demonstrates its ability to meet the technological requirements of ultramodern feed mills well into the 21st century.

 

The new generation in feed mill

 

Van Aarsen was awarded the contract in February 2012 on account of the extremely compelling technological, organisational and financial arguments it was able to present to Kalmar Lantmän.
 

Smart engineering concepts, for example, meant that Van Aarsen's design would lead to 30% savings in on-site space using state-of-the-art machines capable of producing a lower cost per tonne of feed. The whole production process is automated and products can be tracked at all stages of the production process, from raw materials intake to grinding, dosing, mixing, conditioning, pelleting, cooling, crumbling and sieving, coating, post pelleting liquid addition and the final end product, all of which can be remotely controlled by Van Aarsen's automation specialists. Hygiene and (fire) safety are also featured highly on Kalmar Lantmänn's list of priorities.

 

The highest degree of automation

 

The whole production process is automated. It only takes two operators during the day and one at night to track all stages of the production process. Operators can make any adjustments on the spot, just by using a tablet. Remote control and therefore 24-hour security is offered by Van Aarsen's automation specialists. All silos, bins and mixers are equipped with weighing facilities, to constantly monitor which raw materials or finished products are in the process, and keep track of actual stock levels. Automatic sampling of finished product is possible in combination with the fully automatic sample packing system.
 

Hygiene

 

Extra safeguards have been put in place to ensure maximum hygiene. There are separate production lines for pigs, chicken and cattle feed, each with their own mixing, pelleting and coating lines to prevent contamination. Not only that, the building is divided into a 'dirty' section (for raw materials) and a 'clean' section (for finished items); conditioning times are extended to ensure hygienisation and the in-feed destruction of Salmonella, and the incoming air is purified as much as possible to prevent external impurities from entering the system.
 

Fire safety

 

Fire-safety systems have been fitted at fire-sensitive locations throughout the plant. For example, the bins below the hammer mills - where dust and sparks may otherwise present an explosion hazard - are equipped with explosion reliefs. Spark-, temperature- and smoke-detection sensors have been installed at several locations so that, if needed, machinery can be shut down at a moment's notice. Likewise, the entire building is equipped with a central exhaust system to keep all areas dust-free.
 

Energy efficiency

 

Last but not least, energy efficiency is a pivotal feature of the whole project. The plant has been designed to make optimum use of gravity and also operates on high-efficiency motors (IE2) which enables energy recovery from the warm water cooling of the accompanying frequency controllers. Heated liquid storage tanks are located in insulated areas in three different temperature zones, to keep temperatures at constant levels.