Existing space at West Harrison, IN facility used for a B-mill, increasing capacity by 25%
Siemer Milling Co.-operated Whitewater Mill in West Harrison, IN, named after the Whitewater River approximately 600 feet south. Whitewater Mill – a joint venture between Siemer Milling and Brighton Mills – added a 2,500-cwt.-per-day B-mill in November 2024. Photos courtesy of Siemer Milling Co.
Like most flour mill expansions, the goal is to increase capacity while keeping costs to a minimum. That desire for efficient spending inspired Siemer Milling Co.’s latest project at Whitewater Mill LLC, a joint venture with Brighton Mills in West Harrison, IN, wherein Siemer Milling operates the mill as a leasee and supplies flour to Brighton.
“In 2023, we came to the determination that we needed to expand,” says Sunil Maheshwari, vice president for Siemer Milling and plant manager at West Harrison since its inception. “Our customers were growing, so we needed to, as well.
“We determined we could add significant capacity without significant construction,” he tells Milling Journal, “due to underutilized space in the 110-foot pre-cleaning building.”
By removing just two Bühler TAS cleaning machines, there was enough room for a B-mill capable of processing 2,500 cwts. of soft red winter wheat per day, a 25% capacity increase for the site.
Teutopolis, IL-based Siemer Milling, which has operated Whitewater Mill since it opened in 2015, began working with its A-mill equipment supplier Bühler, Plymouth, MN, and general contractor/millwright Empire Ag, Ankeny, IA, to develop a flowsheet for a B-mill.
Empire Ag won the contract through a competitive bidding process, in part, says Maheshwari, because of its “impressive work” in a 2021 expansion of Siemer Milling’s Teutopolis location.
Work on-site at West Harrison began in November 2023, and the B-mill began operating at full capacity in November 2024.
First, one Bühler Sortex A cleaning machine was removed and replaced with a Sortex H model, and the remaining Sortex A model was upgraded with a fifth channel for greater capacity.
The two TAS wheat cleaning machines were relocated to a new 28-foot-x-30-foot-40-foot building attached to the original structure. This was the only new construction needed for the project, says Maheshwari.
The B-mill uses the same first cleaning as the A-mill, but cleaning capacity was upgraded to handle greater volume.
Mill Flow
Next, floors 2-7 were laid out entirely with Bühler equipment. Maheshwari notes the blowers for the B-mill were installed in the existing A-mill blower room on the ground floor.
A rough, floor-by-floor layout of B-mill equipment – all from Bühler – is:
• Floor 2 – Antares rollstands, including one MDDT-1250/250 double-high and five MDDR-1250/250 single-high, as well as five DTWD-80 scales and an MKZF-40/90 D finished product transfer control sieve.
The particular roller mill used is by special request, he says. “Buhler is discontinuing the model we wanted, but they helped us out. All equipment models – except for new scales – match what’s used in the A-mill. This way we don’t need to stock spare parts for two different models of everything.”
• Floor 3 – Four Antares MDDR-1000/250 single-high rollstands and two MJZH-303 sterliators.
• Floor 4 – Three MKLA-45/110 bran finishers, one MKZH-4510B deduster, and one MPAK-225 control plansifter.
• Floor 5 – One MQRH-46/200 purifier, two AHKA-50 flour-collecting chain conveyors, and two MVRT-78/24 top removal aspiration and pneumatic filters.
• Floor 6 – One MPAK 10-section plansifter, one high-pressure fan, and one low-pressure fan.
• Floor 7 – One mill pneumatic airlock bench.
Maheshwari is pleased with the B-mill’s initial performance. “Everything has been fantastic since the get-go. Bühler and Empire Ag did an incredible job. The mill nearly runs unmanned.”
He also credits the role of Synergy Milling Contractors, Eden Prairie, MN, for its smooth installation of spouting and ducting in the B-mill. “We really appreciated the work from Nic Di Cicco and his team,” he adds. “They’re great to work with.”
More Wheat Storage
The next phase of the project is to build more wheat storage, says Maheshwari. Whitewater Mill currently has 2.2 million bushels of storage between concrete silos and steel tanks.
The plan, he notes, is to add a 600,000-bushel Brock Grain Systems steel tank next to two existing steel tanks on the north side of the facility.
“We expect to have the additional storage ready to go by harvest [at the end of June].”
Tucker Scharfenberg, senior managing editor