An example of retrofit with fast payback
Always focused on maintaining the tradition of quality products, the company from Paraná State achieved fast return on the investment in a modern wheat milling diagram and is now preparing to grow even more in taste and profitability.
When Arapongas Mill was established in the city of Arapongas, Paraná State, in 1964, no one used to plant wheat in that region. The founder and agronomist, Paulo Kümmel, saw great potential and, 57 years later, the result is the first agribusiness company established in the city and one of the largest pasta manufacturing plants in southern Brazil.
With annual sales around R$ 240 million, 460 employees and a production capacity of approximately 100,000 tons/year, Arapongas Mill is a good example of success in retrofit, demonstrating how it is possible to increase production in a short time with small adjustments and changes, which began with the corrugation and a revision of the diagram, in addition to a tailored investment in new roller mills and a sifting system.
With the changes, it was possible to increase the mill's capacity by 20% with a total extraction gain of 2% and a 5% increase in the extraction of special flours. There was also an improvement in the color and quality of the flour, in addition to operational improvement and reduction in mill maintenance.
“Even in the middle of the pandemic, we significantly reduced the downtime of the entire process,” reveals Valdemir, who describes the partnership with Bühler as “reliability, flexibility and coherence”.
Maico Oliveira, Bühler's Regional Sales Manager for the milling area, explains that there were four major challenges: “improving performance in terms of extraction level and flour quality, increasing the mill capacity and executing the project with the shortest possible downtime”.
We increased the milling capacity and quality, acquiring a high level of consistency in the processes
Valdemir Donadon, Director of Innovation and Quality, Arapongas Mill
Watch the video above and check out Bühler's retrofit solutions for Arapongas Mill.
According to IBGE, the southern region accounts for almost 90% of the Brazilian wheat production, being Paraná State the largest producer, responsible for more than half the national production. Daniel Kümmel, President of Arapongas Mill, and current President of the Paraná Wheat Industry Union (Sinditrigo), says that the main challenge for the future — not only for his company, but for the sector as a whole — is to grow in a market increasingly competitive and which is strongly affected by the wheat price on the international market.
“Our focus is growth based on sustainability, modernizing the manufacturing plant in search of maximum efficiency and quality in extraction and industrial automation. The partnership with Bühler will not stop here. We are evolving, just at the beginning, walking step by step together with Bühler to advance much more technologically,” adds Daniel.
“This project shows that know-how and investment in innovation, which are Buhler's DNA, make all the difference in the end. And, as a result, a constant concern in all our projects: the reduction in energy consumption and operating costs of the mill. This is also why we are world leaders in the wheat milling segment, seeking to learn more and more from our customers so that we can grow together”, affirms Maico Oliveira.
Bühler's global trajectory — based on know-how acquired over 160 years of experience and a philosophy of innovation focused on health, food safety and sustainability — allows us to offer a complete and personalized consulting service, which goes beyond technical advice and after-sales support. The partnership starts with a specific need of the customer and expands to business cases strategic for the future, such as innovation, new business and market trends.
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