Quality, capacity, control
Rice is Panama’s most consumed cereal product, and Agrosilos S.A. is a Panamanian company with more than 30 years in the rice business. Its three strategically located plants close to rice-growing areas have helped it to gain a large share of the Panamanian market, and its ambition is now to become the foremost rice processing and marketing company in the country.
In order to achieve this Agrosilos recently built its third plant, with a paddy rice processing capacity of 14 tons per hour. The company has a long history with Bühler, having systematically replaced the equipment in its other plants with Bühler technology, and it was no surprise that it chose Bühler as its partner for the next stage of its journey.
Panamanians demand quality rice at affordable prices, and the new plant will enable Agrosilos to meet this need, says General Director Nunzio Girlando, providing “high-quality rice – rich, white, loose, as Panamanians like it”.
Bühler supplied a complete and fully automated rice processing line for the new plant, which is also equipped for flour blending and automated by-product handling. Bühler’s solutions have provided a wide range of benefits for Agrosilos, including increased yields, energy savings, fewer brokens and a consistently better-quality product.
Mercury automation and Bühler Insights connectivity also ensure more control of the process and optimum traceability, while Bühler’s TUBO conveyor has transformed operations for Agrosilos with its flexibility – previously the company had been limited to ‘vertical elevators and horizontal conveyors’, says Alejandro Girlando. Finally, the SORTEX S optical sorter is able to guarantee the uniform color and texture that Agrosilos customers have come to expect.
The partnership between Bühler and Agrosilos has been a fruitful one, says Bühler Sales Director Mexico, Enrique Nieto. “At this plant you have state-of-the-art technology, the best automation, the best control, traceability of the processes. This allows Agrosilos to have the best product, with the necessary capacity and competitiveness to succeed in an increasingly challenging market.”
For us it’s imperative to have full control of our process.That’s why tools like Mercury and Bühler Insights,which give you instant information, assist us in having totalcontrol over what we’re doing.So that if anything happens during the process, we can take corrective action to manage it and get the end result we want.
Alejandro Girlando,
Project Manager, Agrosilos S.A.
I believe that Bühler and Agrosilos share a very important vision.That quality is the be-all and end-all.
Nunzio Girlando,
General Director, Agrosilo S.A.
Gupfenstrasse 5
Uzwil
9240
Switzerland
