Raiffeisen Hemau Kallmünz, Germany
Timing is crucial at harvest time. The farmer must make the most of dry weather to bring the ripe grain in from the field at the right time. Farmer Norbert Graf in the Upper Palatinate region of Bavaria is no exception.
His farm, which has been owned by his family for four generations, is located just a few kilometers from the Pfraundorf agricultural site which was built in 2017 in close collaboration with Bühler. Norbert Graf is a member of the cooperative. His grain – up to 300 tons a year – and the grain of almost 600 farmers of the region is stored in the agricultural site Pfraundorf.
During the long harvest days, Norbert Graf and his colleagues drive their tractor-trailer combinations and trucks many times to the Raiffeisen facility to deliver their grain, be it wheat, barley, rapeseed, or corn. The farmers are always pressed for time during harvesting season, because the combines in the field work uninterruptedly. The old warehouse in the center of Kallmünz had a maximum throughput at the intake of 60 tons per hour, far too little during peak harvest times. Waiting times of several hours were not uncommon. When the new facility went into operation in 2017, the waiting came to an end.
For the optimization and modernization of its commodity business, Raiffeisenbank Hemau-Kallmünz eG invested heavily in its future: “We are a reliable partner in agriculture for the farmers. They also generate their income by marketing their grain through us.” With a total of eleven silos, a capacity of 10000 tons and up-to-date machinery, the grain plant is state-of-the-art and able to meet constantly growing demands. “When designing the plant, Bühler machines were offered, which have been tried and tested worldwide. We use a classic aspirator for grain cleaning at the intake. An air pre-cleaner constitutes an additional line. Vertical and horizontal conveyors are state-of-the-art. And of course, we have an energy-efficient dryer,” says Hans-Peter Konrad, Area Sales Manager at Bühler. As was to be expected, planning for the new agricultural site was extensive. The decision was made in favor of Bühler, whose center of excellence in Beilngries is only half an hour's drive away.
“It was important for us that one single company would be in charge of the entire project, from start to finish. Bühler had already been a reliable partner in many previous construction projects. They have always accompanied us, also in terms of service, and were our first point of contact.”
Gottfried Glaab, Head Manager of Commodities - Raiffeisen Hemau-Kallmünz
The performance of the new agricultural site has been praised a lot right from the start. Especially the short waiting times at the reception increase the plant's efficiency. Hans-Peter Konrad also is satisfied: “Together with our customer, Bühler has built a plant that serves the farmers and the region well. It makes me proud to experience the satisfaction of the operators, our customer, and the farmers when I'm here on site. The plant has been really well received here.”
Gottfried Glaab gladly confirms this from his personal point of view: “You also hear this from our customers: When the sun gleams on the plant in the morning, it really is an eye-catcher. It fills one with pride to be able to say, I work in this company.”
Gottfried Glaab gladly confirms this from his personal point of view: “Our customers feel the same. When the morning sun gleams on the bins, the plant is an eye-catcher. Working in this company really fills me with pride.”
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