Kemin Industries’ milling program supports feed industry’s sustainability and digitalization pushes – INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVES

For more than a decade, Kemin’s millSMART has provided services, support, and products aimed at helping feed milling companies achieve improvements to their processes, productivity, pellet quality, and, ultimately, profitability. Over that time, it has broadened the scope of the program, going beyond the initial focus on the bottom line in order to help animal nutrition clients with different, but no less significant transformations, such as improving their environmental footprints and digitally integrating their systems.

Today, we speak to Kemin’s Kin Ken Chew, Associate Platform Manager - Feed Quality and Technology; Lode Verbruggen, Associate Director - Sustainability; and Raf Snoekx, Global Associate Director - Digital Solutions about how Kemin is investing both in millSMART and in its digital platform KEMINCONNECT in order to provide solutions to meet the evolving needs for sustainability and digitalization being experienced across the global feed industry.

[Feedinfo] How has Kemin’s millSMART program evolved in recent years to better support customers’ interest in improving the sustainability of their milling operations?

We also engaged an independent consultant to conduct a life cycle assessment (LCA) for the millSMART milling aids, which are surfactant-based feed additives that support the moisture penetration in the feed particles while supporting feed quality. This provides clarity on the carbon footprint of our products to our customers and allows them to accurately determine the net carbon savings in their own operation.

Additionally, we also partnered with customers who used large quantities of our millSMART milling aids to transition from IBC (intermediate bulk container) to ISO tank deliveries. This strategic shift not only minimizes packaging waste, but it also makes a significant contribution towards sustainability. The LCA we conducted revealed that transitioning from IBC to ISO tanks could lead to savings of 280 kg CO₂ equivalent per MT of liquid milling aid. If you consider a feed mill consuming 600 tons of liquid milling aids per year, this translates to a substantial reduction of 168 MT of CO₂ per year with the ISO tank deliveries.

[Feedinfo] I understand Kemin is increasingly tailoring the data provided by millSMART to each company’s situation – for example, rather than providing simply a general estimate of reductions to greenhouse gas emissions from improvements to a mill’s operations, you might be able to generate a more precise estimate given details like the source of the mill’s energy and specific operational circumstances. Can you describe this progress in more detail?

Reported improvements are, of course, a function of the specific feed mill setup and type of feed produced. For an average feed mill, we observe a 6 percent reduction in scope 1 and 2 emissions. Energy costs are likely to be reduced by the same ratio, supporting the bottom line of the feed mill. In addition, the feed mill’s scope 3 emissions decrease by about 2 percent thanks to the other sustainability impacts of improved production efficiency. For example, a feed manufacturer producing 500,000 MT of a standard compound feed will see a reduction of carbon emissions of over 8,000 MT, equal to the annual emissions of 1,200 global citizens.

To calculate the sustainability impact of millSMART, we consider multiple factors including the feed composition, the amount and type of energy used, product mixture, and the possibility of lowering the conditioning temperature to provide the best possible estimations.

Today we can calculate the greenhouse and energy saving results based on the specific situation of individual consumers. We are working on making real time measurements by including the model into our digital platform. This will allow feed mills to access a real-time report on the sustainability improvements they generated thanks to millSMART.

[Feedinfo] Can you give any examples of how customers using millSMART are benefitting from these improvements to the program?

[Kin Ken Chew] The millSMART program has significantly enhanced the milling operations across numerous feed mills, delivering marked improvement in efficiency, feed quality, and safety. Customers adopting the millSMART program have experienced a range of benefits, including significant enhancements in milling throughput, reduced pellet press electricity consumption, decreased process loss, and increased feed outputs. These enhancements directly translate into lower operational costs and improved profitability. Additionally, customers have noted improvements in the feed quality and safety, assisting them to meet the standards for providing high-quality and safe feed to farm animals. In recent years, we have seen a very fast adoption of millSMART across all regions. Kemin teams have accumulated great experience in the seamless implementation of the program. We have dedicated engineering resources who play a critical role in the custom implementation and servicing of the program.

The millSMART online program, coupled with our cutting-edge real-time sensor technology, further enhances these benefits by enabling consistency in the feed moisture and quality across all batches. This is particularly crucial in today's context, where feed mills strive not only to meet specifications but also to achieve consistency across various production batches. One notable example involved a customer in Southeast Asia who was grappling with the challenges of consistently producing feed that meets the target moisture levels, and whose pellet mill line was always operating below the rated capacity. With the millSMART online program implemented, the feed mill managed to reach their target moisture consistently, and they boosted the mill throughput and milling efficiency. The consistent savings and operational efficiencies delivered by the millSMART program continue to drive its adoption among many feed mills.

[Feedinfo] To what extent is the push for more sustainable and “smart”, digitally-connected operations a global requirement? Are there differences in the particular sustainability challenges of a feed mill in, say, southeast Asia versus northern Europe, or in the performance metrics that these companies will want to be measuring?  

[Lode Verbruggen] Indeed, regions can have different challenges and priorities. In areas with upcoming sustainability regulations, such as the European Union, South East Asia, and South America, they require better insights into their greenhouse gas emissions for lifecycle assessments or corporate reports.

Energy efficiency and feed waste reduction benefit both sustainability and operating expenses. Regions with high energy prices or inflation of raw materials tend to focus more on the cost aspect.

We often see requirements for more digital integration and sustainability arise during the construction of new feed mills. So in regions with increased consumption of animal proteins, like India for example, this is a priority.

Labor shortages are also an important driver, especially for more automation. Our solution can reduce multiple manual tasks.

In the end, the customer’s sustainability ambitions determine the focus of the millSMART program. We offer customized solutions and insights to help them achieve their financial and sustainability goals.

[Feedinfo] On the digitalization front, you are increasingly incorporating additional sensors into KEMINCONNECT™ in order to further reduce process variation. What information are these additional sensors meant to provide, and how does that translate into an improved customer experience?

[Raf Snoekx] Moisture is essential throughout the feed processing stages. More than 15 years ago Kemin started with inline moisture sensors installed in the mixer. The objective was to reduce process variation, mainly coming from raw materials in the mixer, and ensuring higher and more consistent moisture levels in the finished feed.

In addition I have some exciting news to share in our digital journey and want to give the readers of Feedinfo a teaser. In the coming months we will be rebranding KEMINCONNECT into sciORIAN™. With KEMINCONNECT, we mastered the initial “connect and monitor phase,” laying a solid foundation for data-driven decision-making. We learned to master this pretty well. As sciORIAN is introduced, we are ready to take the next leap forward. We move from passive observation to active assistance, transforming raw data into actionable intelligence.

[Feedinfo] I understand the next frontier for sciORIAN is in deeper integration with customers’ own, often proprietary, cloud systems. What can you tell me about that work, and your objectives for the reach of sciORIAN in the coming years?

[Raf Snoekx] Industry 4.0 and Internet of Things (IoT) technology are reshaping our industry into smarter, more efficient ecosystems. Many of our customers are currently exploring the opportunities of digital technologies, like Artificial Intelligence, and have their own cloud environment. IoT solutions often involve numerous connected devices, software platforms, and network protocols. These elements work closely together to create an interconnected ecosystem capable of sending, receiving, and processing data which could be complex and often lead to challenges. sciORIAN facilitates and eases this process as it serves as a backbone for the Kemin Liquid Application Systems and various smart connected devices supporting the millSMART program. The platform handles the generated data, provides analytics tools, and is developed with carrier grade security features. KEMINCONNECT offers an easy, effective, and safe end-to-end process integration which enables the customer to gain all sciORIAN benefits using their own cloud-based platform.

[Feedinfo] What is ahead for programs such as millSMART and sciORIAN as they support the feed industry’s move towards more sustainable and digitally-connected operations? And in what ways do we see these priorities reflected in other parts of the Kemin portfolio, across both products and services?

[Kin Ken Chew] As we look ahead, the millSMART program and broader digitalization efforts are set to play a pivotal role in advancing the feed mill industry towards sustainability and digital transformation. One key direction involves expanding the LCA studies to encompass a wider range of products. This expansion will provide deeper understanding into environmental impacts, guiding us towards more sustainable formulation and operational practices. We are actively exploring avenues such as production efficiency enhancements, increased utilization of green energy sources to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), minimizing packaging waste, and formulating products with more sustainable raw materials.

We are also collaborating with suppliers to explore Scope 3 reductions through alternative raw materials and transportation strategies, aiming to further cut down our upstream carbon footprint. Our focus is to work collectively with our customers and suppliers to minimize the overall impact to the environment. This collaborative approach ensures that sustainability is integrated into every aspect of our operations, from sourcing raw materials to delivering finished goods, and contributing to a more sustainable feed industry.

Additionally, our focus also extends to bolstering digital services by integrating more sensors into our millSMART program. Sensors, such as the technology for inline pellet quality measurement and monitoring moisture levels in finished pellets, provide a data-driven approach that empowers the feed mills to optimize production processes and enhance feed quality. To support these initiatives, Kemin established a dedicated team to drive engineering and digital innovations, actively scouting for emerging technologies, such as advanced sensor technology in the livestock industry. This digital transformation presents vast opportunities for professionals in the feed mill and animal nutrition sectors.

Published in association with Kemin Industries