Bühler launches digital service MoisturePro for optimal food and feed drying
Sven-Olof Malmqvist
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The future of Aquaculture
t is one thing to write a column in an aquaculture magazine and an entirely other thing to be a practical grower of any aquatic species. Years back I put a number of crayfishes (a form of fresh water lobster) in one of my ponds. It is vital that you have a constant inflow of fresh water and, of course, an outlet so there is sufficient circulation and oxygen. The pond isn’t that big and deep but is brimming with stones and hideouts, which are needed when the crayfish exuviate their shells and are vulnerable to attacks by their own sort. Nature is cruel! Anyway, I have been fishing every autumn when you are supposed to eat them but so far I have thought they are too small and have thrown them back again. In Scandinavia we normally go out in the night placing cages in the water. As bait one can use fresh meat, chicken or fishes as cray fish aren’t picky about their food. The next morning you pick them up and empty the catch. You boil crayfish in really hot water, together with dill, sugar and beer, and then let them cool down. You eat them cold as is, preferably sitting outside as it is rather messy, as you eat them with your own hands, so you need to cover your clothes to protect them. Shots of aquavit and many glasses of beer will also play an important role in this crayfish party. One important element in any aqua production is water and that has been lacking this year due to the drought and, for my production, it has been devastating with zero survival, so I have to start all over again. This just shows how important water is for any sort of production, both access to it and the quality. The major difference is that I am not depending on it as my livelihood, but others are. We need to assist the small holders with all the help we can both in terms of management and financial point of view. As a company you should look at is as a long-term investment, today they are receivers of aid, tomorrow a regular customer of your goods!
Sven Olof is an experienced export manager with a demonstrated history of working in the chemicals industry. He is skilled in marketing management, market planning, business planning, international business and sales management. He is a strong sales profession who graduated from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Malmoe.
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ühler have recently launched their new cloud-based digital service, MoisturePro, aimed at driving significant improvements in yield, reducing energy costs and environmental footprints of thermal processing for the food and feed industries. MoisturePro is not the only digital service Bühler offer, as their cloud platform offers a full suite of digital tools and services, all under the name of Bühler Insights. MoisturePro introduces a new level of customer-partnership that will result in significant sustainability improvements and efficiency increases. Following a first phase of testing and successful implementation with customers in the US, MoisturePro is now a reliable and proven service. “Leveraging the power of the Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud technology we can make our expertise available to our customers at every stage of the drying process and drive real change”, says Paul McKeithan, Bühler’s Head of Digital Services.
As the product is discharged through a chute, moisture sensors send data to dryer software control. Bühler’s control algorithms continually adjust production parameters, so that optimum moisture content is both achieved and maintained, whilst also ensuring food and feed safety. Displaying a marked improvement when compared to the timely procedure of manual sampling and adjusting, MoisturePro minimises moisture deviation, reduces dryer yield consumption and improves dryer yield. Bühler’s goal is to build sustainable food value chains, reduce 30 percent of waste and 30 percent of energy in their customers’ processes by 2020. Digital innovations, such as the MoisturePro, are helping to shape this into reality. “The use of digital technologies has revolutionised food and feed processing. These changes have driven huge improvements in quality and efficiency” continues McKeithan. “Now, we are leveraging connectivity to drive the next revolution. With MoisturePro, our expertise is available on an ongoing, real-time basis to our customers, so that we can proactively help to create and sustain improvements. It’s a true partnership.”
12 | October 2018 - International Aquafeed