The new pelleting plant was the final phase of the PIA construction project.
Capacities in this production section have doubled as a result of our new pelleting plant in Einbeck.
New staff was hired for the new plant.
Investment
Facilities for the future
€51 million for a new production site: The PIA project at Einbeck has now been completed after four years of construction. It is a strategic investment in enhancing our competitiveness in the sugar beet seed market.
It was the final step as part of the around 42,000 m² production area we have built from scratch in Einbeck: Completion of the new pelleting plant marks the end of the multi-phased PIA construction project.
It was preceded by building of a new logistics and storage center. “The biggest innovation is high bay warehouses and special boxes with a camera-based means of detecting whether they are empty instead of conventional conveyor and storage technology,” explains Frank Friedhoff, Head of Technical Processes.
A machine hall for the new means of applying active substances had to be built after that and has been adapted to the new storage technology. “It took a little over two years to finish – from the first cut of the spade for the building in September 2017 to packaging of the first commercial seed batch in October 2019.” Subsequent erection of the new pelleting plant went much faster: The first commercial batch was shipped to our customers in December 2021 after just nine months.
“Our initial experience has been extremely positive,” says Cord Bachmann, team leader in seed processing, about the new pelleting plant. “Capacities in this production section have doubled. That means we’re able to fulfill customers’ wishes even at short notice. We could only pellet either conventional seed or CONVISO® SMART seed with the previous plant. The new one allows us to produce other types of seed, such as CONVISO® SMART or CR+, alongside conventional seed.” A new means of dosing color concentrate also automates pelleting of CONVISO® SMART seed, a process that used to be done manually.
Additional staff was hired to operate the new plant. A total of some 150 colleagues now work in the new production area – in production management, the lab, seed technology and seed research. Systems to recover heat and reuse process water also ensure lower consumption of resources. The PIA project cost a total of around €51 million. |
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