BinMaster Sensors and Technologies LLC articles

Grain Level Measurements: A Technological Question

Bin-level indicators have been around for decades. From simple switches and rotaries to advanced non-contact sensors, there’s no shortage of technologies to choose from. But there’s more to bin levels than just the sensor.

The demand for livestock products is increasing throughout the globe alongside population growth, urbanization, and overall growth of income. Financially, feed costs represent 70% of all variable costs of livestock production. Quality feed improves livestock productivity, resulting in lower age at first calving and shorter calving intervals. 

For agriculture

Prior to being processed into various oils, seeds and nuts are delivered to a production plant and stored in large silos to ensure adequate material is available for production. A single seed and oil operation can house and process a variety of seeds and nuts: sunflower, canola, palm, safflower, sesame, and grape seed, or peanuts, soybeans, almonds, and walnuts.

Agriculture is a challenging profession. Its dangers and risks occur throughout the world and are not isolated to a single country or region.

Starting in 1969, Brazil began keeping detailed statistics on agro-industrial accidents. It was disclosed that nearly 18% of all industrial workers (including ag professionals) suffered accidents. Preventive measures helped reduce that to 3.84% in 1984.

Research in the Uni

Feed mills and farms may experience tension when it comes to feed management. While they share a common goal of producing and delivering quality products, inventory management and delivery schedules sometimes falter due to miscommunications.

Cocoa beans and cocoa powder are stored in silos and warehouses. Sometimes beans are stored in their original sacks before they are processed; beans are even sorted according to type. Eventually, cocoa beans are stored in huge silos, many of which hold more than 1,000 tons. 

Americans consume 101 pounds (or 160 bowls!) of cereal per person, per year, according to International Business Times. 

The cereal industry moves a lot of bulk ingredients including sugar, dry grains, and flour. Producers rely on an agile supply chain to deliver fresh ingredients throughout processing plants. One plant called on BinMaster to help them measure wheat, corn, and rice stored in large silos.</

Profit can be made through smart supply chain strategies like procurement optimization, material aggregation, and strategic sourcing.

During the past 30 years, total global material consumption increased by 80% and is projected to reach 180 billion tons of different materials by 2050. 

BinMaster walks alongside supply chain efforts by providing accurate measurements of bulk materials in one, or multiple locations. 

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Silos full. Conveyors humming. Trucks on time. What could go wrong? Inventory measurements could—and often do—cause trouble. A cost controller says, “there is no way your material measurements are right. You said we had 120,000 cubic feet of material at the end of May. Based on sales and deliveries, you should have been closer to 7,700 cubic feet."

Dropping a tape to measure bulk material may result in incorrect bulk volume estimates. Bad measures can be costly. Infl

A Midwest-based poultry feed mill stored numerous grains, additives, and supplements in liquid and solid forms. In some of these bins containing liquified fat and lime, uneven piling made stored inventory difficult to measure.

Additionally, this site had bins of all shapes and sizes. Some had cone bottoms. Many of the bins were steel, but there was a large slip concrete structure housing bins containing many different materials. The