Chimpex, Constanta, Romania
Since its foundation in 1971, Chimpex has established itself as one of the leading port-operating and stevedoring companies at the Port of Constanta in Romania. Chimpex is the main port operator for fertilizers, grains such as wheat, corn, barley, rapeseed, sunflower seeds and soybeans, feedstuffs and other products including pipes and chemicals, with an overall storage capacity of 600,000 metric tons.
The core business of Chimpex is to provide its customers bulk loading and unloading services, as well as the import and export of bulk cargo. Since 2012, Chimpex has been part of the Ameropa Holding AG based in Switzerland.
“2014 we decided to make an investment in order to be more efficient and to provide top services to our clients and we decided to build a grain terminal”, explains Mihai Panait, CEO of Chimpex Romania. “We started to build that grain terminal in 2017 with a storage capacity of 200.000 tons, which consists of twenty vertical steel silo cells of 10.000 tons each.”
In 2016 Chimpex commissioned Bühler to design and build a new state-of-the-art grain terminal with a capacity of 200,000 metric tons. The terminal had to comply with stringent food safety as well as health and environmental regulations. The project included the installation of chain conveyors, elevators, belt conveyors and a dust aspiration system. A very important aspect was that the installation of the new terminal had to be undertaken without interrupting operations at the busy port.
With excellent references in the field, Bühler was chosen as the single contractor delivering a full package solution for the development of the terminal. A key factor was Bühler’s presence in the region and the ability to assign experienced teams in Romania.
The new terminal came into operation on time and within the allocated budget. The efficient new installation reduces losses by 20%, cargo contamination is reduced significantly, and storage capacity increased by 50%. A major challenge that Chimpex faced was acute shortages of manpower. The new terminal overcomes this challenge as it can be operated with fewer personnel. The new design also supports Chimpex in their efforts to provide optimal working conditions and the highest standards of health and safety.
The new terminal came into operation on time and within the allocated budget. The efficient new installation reduces losses by 20%, cargo contamination is reduced significantly, and storage capacity increased by 50%.
A major challenge that Chimpex faced was acute shortages of manpower. The new terminal over comes this challenge as it can be operated with fewer personnel. The new design also supports Chimpex in their efforts to provide optimal working conditions and the highest standards of health and safety.
Systems are always only as reliable as the single parts of the whole chain. Bühler was able to deliver a complete system of chain conveyors, elevators and belt conveyors. The customer is very happy now with this system, because within the last two years, since installation he was able to load 5.2 Mio tons for export and there was not even one breakdown. The reliability of the system is at 100%
Christoph Tilke, Area Sales Manager, Bühler Group
Bühler supported us with a good and reliable equipment. With solutions for environmental friendly equipment with precision on the engines and conveyors and elevators which makes them reliable and enables us to provide the best services to our clients. For a friend and for a business partner I would recommend to buy at Bühler. Maybe for a competitor I would not recommend Bühler, because they are too good.
Mihai Panait, CEO, Chimpex Romania
Gupfenstrasse 5
Uzwil
9240
Switzerland
