Construction, engineering, mining and rural infrastructure company, Ahrens, designed and built a $50 million grain storage facility for Bunge in Western Australia.
Works for the complex, located at the Bunbury port, included six 7300 tonne flat bottom silos, four 700 tonne hopper bottom silos, office and road intake buildings, as well as material handling infrastructure.
The project combined Ahrens’ in-house capabilities including design, complete project management, manufacturing, site erection, and material handling equipment. Using in-house steel fabrication facilities, Ahrens also manufactured all of the structural steel and bases for the hopper bottom silos.
Being involved early in the design phase meant Ahrens were able to finalise more details up front and coordinate works more efficiently. This enabled Ahrens to incorporate all components of the project in the initial design and planning stage, minimising variations later in the project.
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The provision of dual truck receival hoppers saw Bunge able to transfer grain at 1000 tonnes per hour via belt conveyors and bucket elevators to the bulk storage silos. The advantage of the custom designed and engineered conveying systems was that grain could be delivered to any of the 10 silos before being conveyed to the existing ship loader at the port.
Using a vertically integrated business model, Ahrens was able to provide a cost-effective option for the client that provided them with 50,000 tonnes of storage capacity. The investment was the first step towards ensuring Bunge could supply its customer base all year round.
Ahrens delivered the project on time and on budget within a ten-month period.
Since the delivery of this project, Ahrens can now offer a full range of silo storage solutions, tailored to client’s specific requirements, designed and fabricated in its advanced South Australian facility and assembled on site by their skilled teams.
To find out more about how Ahrens can add value to your next project, visit www.ahrens.com.au/bh