HE Silo's local touch

ABHR learns how a local manufacturing presence has helped HE Silos Forbes reach its 55th anniversary.

Family has been the cornerstone of HE Silos Forbes since it first began in 1969. The multi-generation company, which started out as a general engineering company in regional New South Wales, has grown into a major supplier of silos across the country.

In 2006, the company took on an ambitious goal. The team decided it would work towards building a world where nobody went hungry.

Stevie-Leigh Morrison, the company’s executive director, said it’s a challenging problem to tackle, but an important thing to strive for.

“Our focus had always been on storing the nation’s grain, and that every grain counts,” she told ABHR. “To reach that goal, we need to build the best silos possible – but also to help our customers weather droughts and floods, the ups and downs.”

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As the company grew from small business to a major manufacturer, the company has had to evolve. HE Silos Forbes has two manufacturing sites in the NSW town of Forbes – one which focuses on bulk silos and the other on transportable silos.

Across these factories, around 40 workers ensure that everything is fabricated, formed and tested to meet the company’s strict internal minimums.

Every silo built at the company’s factories are tested regularly to ensure they meet and exceed Australian Standards.

Each product also undergoes finite element analysis to verify the structural integrity of the silo.

Larry Storm, the company’s general manager, said a lot of time and energy goes into ensuring silos comply to the relevant certifications.

“There’s been a strong pull towards food security and best storage practices on farm, which is our biggest driver,” he said.

“To ensure the safety of the food supply chain, grain needs to be stored properly in high quality silos. If we can maintain grain quality, that gives our customers a better product which is more likely to achieve a premium when it goes to market.”

“As the business gets bigger, we have needed to change our systems. We have incorporated things like enterprise resource planning systems to help us track and monitor our manufacturing processes. All of our costing systems are computer-based, using data to keep costs low without compromising on quality.”

This quality is the cornerstone of the company’s brand. HE Silos Forbes prides itself on the relationships it has cultivated throughout the industry, working closely with farmers to solve their grain storage problems.

One of the most common things Storm hears from repeat customers is the value for money they get from the silos. Many of these customers bought silos 20, 30, or even 40 years prior.

“Word of mouth is everything in this industry,” Storm said. “The relationships we form are worth everything. If you build a connection with a customer, they’re more likely to recommend you to their neighbours and friends.”

“Even the seemingly small things can be really important, which is why if any of our customers need to get in contact with us, they can just give us a call. If needed, we’ll jump into the car and drive to their site.”

Australia is a large country, and silo customers are often located in regional, remote areas. Distance doesn’t daunt the HE Silos Forbes team, who can take advantage of being local to visit customers in person.

The family business isn’t planning on slowing its growth any time soon and has its sights on bringing its innovations to the global stage. The company’s Thermal Insect Control System or TICS – a thermal syphon used to activate and distribute phosphine gas, operated at ground level – is being showcased at the 12th Conference on Controlled Atmospheres and Fumigation in Stored Products in Winnipeg, Canada.

The system eliminates the need to climb onto a silo to fumigate it, significantly reducing the risk of falls.

“We are now providing the TICS on most of our silos, with the farmers adding the system as part of their order, knowing and understanding the TICS solves a safety issue and provides a simple, fast, effective and consistent way to fumigate their silos, helping to manage and maintain their grain quality without insect damage, which increases their return on investment,” Storm said.

A scientist from Charles Sturt University, who has been testing and validating the system for over three years will demonstrate the system at the Canadian event and showcase the safety benefits.

HE Silos Forbes staff are also planning to support an agricultural mission in India, focusing on grain storage protection. The company will support trade ministers and governments about improving food and grain storage, from coffee beans to rice.

The company has also recently celebrated its 55th anniversary.

“We have a very busy year ahead of us,” Storm said. “We’re going to more than 15 trade shows over the next 15 months and have several innovations in development.”

“We plan to keep finding new ways to improve grain storage and keep putting our customers first.”