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Milling : a new link in the Limagne wheat chain

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The construction of an integrated chain in Limagne is an essential part of Limagrain's strategy to develop a more dynamic and efficient agriculture. Allowing members to transform their agricultural production on site is an effective way to increase added value and compensate for the distance from consumption and export hubs. The corn chain was the first to be set up and, since the construction of a corn mill in Ennezat in 1983, it covers all activities, from varietal breeding to the manufacture of foods and other finished or semi-finished products. The wheat chain is more recent and has been built up since the acquisition of Nickerson in 1990 and Jacquet in 1995, which form the two ends of the chain. However, a mill was lacking to make the chain complete. Today, this has been achieved with Limagrain Meunerie, gathering two mills located in Limagne, who have recently joined the Group.


A crucial phase for the wheat chain


With these two mills, Groupe Limagrain now has an industrial tool capable of grinding most wheat harvested by Limagrain.
While milling techniques are well-known, they are still difficult to deploy. The necessary allocation requires large storage facilities. Moreover, working with such large volumes, in terms of raw materials as well as flours ready for shipment and by-products, requires just-in-time management and precise logistics.


Today, producing flour rarely means “just grinding” wheat. It often involves responding to precise technical specifications supplied by the customer. This is where the real technological value of a mill comes into play and its role as a source of added value. In fact, different mixtures of wheat are milled together. This is called a “model”. Each one corresponds to a specific mixture, for a particular use and customer. As the harvest is different each year, models are often modified and tested accordingly.


The integration of mills in Limagrain is a crucial phase in the operations of the chain. Belonging to the same Group creates a link between the cooperative, the mills and internal customers like Jacquet, Limagrain Cereal Ingredients or La Gerbe d'Or. This allows us to anticipate better and provide more information at every level of the chain regarding production plans, choices of varieties and the definition of models. This is essential, since the Cooperative supplies, through its production contracts, sufficient quantities of varieties with the required qualities. It harvests, stores, homogenizes and mixes them on the Ennezat site (Puy-de-Dôme, France) for each model. The availability of different genetics is essential for the chain. Indeed, creating a model often involves associating interesting qualities from five or six different varieties.


In the future, the objectives are clear : to use 100% of the production capacities of both mills and find new customers in order to increase production among our members. Already 40% of the volume produced by the Milling hub are intended for the Group's processing firms. This share is destined to increase in the future. This is the whole purpose of setting up a chain.

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