Bühler, Uzwil, Switzerland, reports that for decades industrial milling concepts have focused on optimising machines and processes, but the basic design concept remained the same, based on buildings with a minimum of five to six storeys. With the completely new approach of the Mill E3, the company is now able to optimise the entire arrangement and construction concept. At the Networking Days 2019, which took place 26-27 August, Bühler demonstrated that it is possible to build flour mills with latest technology more cost-effectively, install them quicker, and operate them with less impact on the environment.

Mill E3 stands for advantages on three efficiency levels: space, time, and energy. In the optimal case a Mill E3 building can be 30% smaller in volume than a traditional mill of the same output capacity. The construction of the Mill E3 building not only locks up less capital, it is also completed more quickly. By using pre-assembled modules, Mill E3 is installed 30% faster than conventional flour mills. "It is basically a plug-and-play mill," said Stefan Birrer, head of the  milling solutions business area at Bühler. This means that customers can set up their Mill E3s more quickly and start generating revenues faster. It significantly reduces infrastructure cost, construction time and complexity.

With the same output, Mill E3 reduces energy consumption by up to 10%, without compromising yield or quality. This is down to the compact mill design and innovative process solutions such as the newly developed Arrius integrated grinding system, which has an integrated drive saving up to 10% of energy compared to conventional roller mills. The TUBO tubular push conveyor replaces individual pneumatic transport systems in order to save energy. TUBO is much more efficient and makes food production even safer. The product is transported gently, loses no weight due to drying out, and the conveyor system is more hygienic because the pipelines are self-cleaning.

"Be it space, time, or energy: on all these levels, we were able to show that the plant will be better than anything other mill builders have on the market," commented Birrer. "The design, the new Arrius grinding system and the IoT and blockchain applications are revolutionising the milling industry once again," added Johannes Wick, CEO grains and foods at Bühler Group.

The UK’s largest milling company, Whitworths Holdings incorporating Whitworth Bros and Carrs Flour Mills, operates 17 mills on nine sites. It is the first company to rely on Mill E3. "Besides the obvious mechanical benefits E3 offers, we were also convinced of the digitalisation approach. Bühler is definitely on the forefront in this respect," said Mike Peters, managing director of Whitworth Bros Ltd. "For us, Mill E3 offers more than just a new technology approach. It will enable us to create complete transparency for our customers in the future," he added. Together with Mill E3, Bühler has proposed increasing transparency along the value chain by adding connectivity features, digital services, and blockchain to help guarantee the end product quality. www.buhlergroup.com; www.future-of-milling.com

 

Mill E3 can be built on three floors, compared with the traditional five or six floors

  

The Arrius grinding system, which is ‘plug-and-play’ for ease of installation, is fully integrated into the mill

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