Efficient Plant February 2018 - 39
feature | solution focus
DCS Opens New
Markets for
Process automation
is providing critical
production insights and
centralized control for a
major agricultural terminal
operation.
Farm
Cooperative
AFTER OPERATING FOR decades,
Nebraska's Midwest Farmers Cooperative
(MFC, midwestfarmers.coop) found itself
facing limited opportunities for an expanded global-market reach. With most of its
grain transported by truck, the co-op determined the best way to grow the business
would be to build a new central-hub terminal with access to major U.S. rail lines. In
addition to train service and highway access
for inbound trucks, the terminal would also
need to be strategically located with respect
to MFC's existing operating facilities.
Having settled on a location that met
FEBRUARY 2018
those requirements, the co-op worked with
system integrator Wachter Inc. (wachter.
com, Lenexa, KS) to design a fully automated facility based on the scalable PlantPAx
distributed control system (DCS) from
Rockwell Automation (rockwellautomation.
com, Milwaukee). Now up and running, the
terminal is helping MFC efficiently move
corn and other grain into new markets
around the world.
THE CHALLENGES
MFC is a full-service cooperative. It brings
together 4,100 farmer patrons in Nebraska
to negotiate higher prices as a group and
reach customers to which individual members might, otherwise, not have immediate
access. The co-op operates 28 Nebraska
facilities where trucks bring grains to be
dried, conditioned, and stored until purchased and transported out.
Previously, only a few of those terminals
had access to trains to haul grain to market.
Reliance on trucks as the primary means of
transit, in turn, limited the co-op's customer
base solely to companies operating in the
Midwest. The co-op's efficiency also was
limited given the fact most of its terminals
EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM |
39
http://www.midwestfarmers.coop
http://www.EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Efficient Plant February 2018
Maximize CMMS, EAM Use
Tribology Program Fills Skills Gap
Caring For Bearings In Extreme Environments
Press-Brake Safeguarding Matters
Oil Systems Need To Breathe
SAP: Kicking Bad Habits
Advice For Automated Substations
Good BOMs Boost Maintenance Efficiency
Smarten Up About Rotor Analysis
Heed These Signs of Inefficiency
Implementations
IIoT
Efficiency Insight
Editorial
On The Floor
Solution Focus
Products
Showcase
Efficient Plant February 2018 - Cover1
Efficient Plant February 2018 - Cover2
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 1
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 2
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 3
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 4
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 5
Efficient Plant February 2018 - Editorial
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 7
Efficient Plant February 2018 - Implementations
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 9
Efficient Plant February 2018 - Maximize CMMS, EAM Use
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 11
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 12
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 13
Efficient Plant February 2018 - Tribology Program Fills Skills Gap
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 15
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 16
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 19
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 20
Efficient Plant February 2018 - Caring For Bearings In Extreme Environments
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 22
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 17
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 18
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 19
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 20
Efficient Plant February 2018 - Caring For Bearings In Extreme Environments
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 22
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 23
Efficient Plant February 2018 - Press-Brake Safeguarding Matters
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 25
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 26
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 27
Efficient Plant February 2018 - Oil Systems Need To Breathe
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 29
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 30
Efficient Plant February 2018 - SAP: Kicking Bad Habits
Efficient Plant February 2018 - Advice For Automated Substations
Efficient Plant February 2018 - Good BOMs Boost Maintenance Efficiency
Efficient Plant February 2018 - Smarten Up About Rotor Analysis
Efficient Plant February 2018 - Heed These Signs of Inefficiency
Efficient Plant February 2018 - On The Floor
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 37
Efficient Plant February 2018 - IIoT
Efficient Plant February 2018 - Solution Focus
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 40
Efficient Plant February 2018 - Products
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 42
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 43
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 44
Efficient Plant February 2018 - Showcase
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 46
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 47
Efficient Plant February 2018 - Efficiency Insight
Efficient Plant February 2018 - Cover3
Efficient Plant February 2018 - Cover4
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