ADM Mendota

The Situation

As one of the world’s oldest and largest agricultural processors, ADM owes its longevity to its ability to continuously improve. ADM placed its confidence in KE to deliver on this Mendota, IL, flour mill, which was the largest constructed at one time in the United States. The mill, as large as it is, also includes:

• Three milling units with centralized monitoring to ensure performance, consistency and security of supply
• Three bulk truck loadouts and rail load-out capability
• A high-speed packer and a 30,000-square-foot warehouse
• A brand-new lab with the most up-to-date quality control equipment
• An onsite transportation company, including a truck wash and an advanced truck facility utilizing RFID technology to ensure efficiency and accuracy

The Solution

As the biggest KE project to date, the pressure was on to deliver. The facility sits on 140 acres and includes a loop track with 110-car shuttle rail unloading capacity.

Knobelsdorff provided engineering, design, procurement, installation, start-up and commissioning for:

• Design-build engineering, procurement & construction
• Complete engineering, design and 3-D modeling
• 35 kV distribution system
• 480-volt power distribution
• Industrial Ethernet network
• Process controls system
• Facility lighting

We also provided engineering, design and installation for conduit and cabling for the process controls system; and we wired the lighting and emergency lighting system, fire alarm system, smoke detection, explosion detection and hazard monitoring setups.

The Result

The mill offers the most up-to-date monitoring and quality-control; swift and efficient packing and transportation options; and the ability to mill numerous wheat varieties. It accomplished everything ADM set out to achieve and more.