Suomen Viljava has chosen Swiss Bühler Group to build its oat mill in Finland, which is planned to go into operation in 2023 as Oat Mill Finland Oy. 

The mill will be installed in a strategic area in the port of Rauma on the west coast of Finland, a deep-sea container port with exports by ship and as direct railway connections to the east to China. In addition of groats and flakes, the mill will produce oat hulls pellets for the Baltic rim countries’ feed and biofuel markets. 

The global consumption of oat products has been growing by 3.5% annually. Demand for healthier plant-based food and high-quality oats is reportedly strengthened by, among other things, increased purchasing power, better level of education and increase in general health awareness of consumers. Products based on oats have a relatively low carbon footprint, the company says. “Viljava has been planning an oat mill to Rauma for a long time and we are convinced that the cooperation with Bühler in this ambitious project will support us to reach our business goals,” said Pasi Lähdetie, CEO of Suomen Viljava. 

Bühler will deliver a package of engineered technology to Suomen Viljava, which includes the cleaning, dehulling, kilning, cutting, and flaking, bagging, and load out. The entire line will be controlled by the Mercury Manufacturing Execution system (MES), the company’s factory automation system that integrates plant control and processes to increase efficiency and traceability. The company’s digital solutions also play a role in improving productivity and reducing operating costs. Service modules such as yield management system (YMS), error and downtime analysis (EDA), overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) and insights replay will be integrated at the mill. 

“This project offers us a unique opportunity to craft a customized and highly efficient solution to Viljava’s new plant while implementing the mill in an already existing building, taking advantage of the infrastructure already available. We save resources while offering the most technological and advanced solutions in the area,” said Mathias Hannsbauer, Head of Business Segment Oat at Bühler Group. 

The installation of the oat mill will start in September 2022.