Viterra has made significant investments in its supply chain to support its overall focus of providing an efficient, cost-effective and sustainable supply chain to its growers, buyers and exporters, particularly during the busy time of harvest.
Each year, Viterra invests around $40 million into its supply chain directed to where it can provide the greatest value to customers.
The business recently unveiled $6 million in infrastructure at its Port Lincoln site to support its transition to road transport and ensure the site can provide a high level of service to local growers as well as meet shipping demand from export customers.
It includes the conversion of three sheds to unload trucks, electrical upgrade works and construction of roadworks for a new class of high productivity vehicles. The new infrastructure will improve efficiency and help growers deliver more quickly at the site with more unloading points and a larger area to operate in.
The $6 million invested in the project forms part of $15 million capital investment at the Port Lincoln site in the last three years with an additional $3.8 million planned for 2020.
Investments at Viterra’s Cummins and Lock upcountry sites also formed part of the project undergoing roadwork upgrades for trucks to safely and efficiently outturn. An additional 50,000 tonnes of storage was built at Cummins, as well as extra equipment installed at the site as well as at Rudall, to efficiently load grain from silos to trucks.
Viterra’s Gladstone site also underwent a $4 million transformation with a new state-of-the-art classification centre, automatic grain probes, automated 40 metre weighbridge and shed resealing.
Viterra’s projects use as many local and South Australian contractors as possible.
Investments were made at Roseworthy and Snowtown to increase bunker storage by an additional 50,000 tonnes at each site to reduce the need for overflow.
In Viterra’s Eastern region, the sheds at Loxton were resealed to ensure maximum storage and segregation availability, while the steel bins at Bordertown were resealed and painted to ensure longevity of the storage.
The business has made a number of other investments across the network for the 2019/20 harvest including new front end loaders, continuous upgrades to drive over hopper and stacker sets, bunker upgrades, electrical upgrades at ports and shed resealing.
Viterra’s capital investment in its supply chain demonstrates Viterra’s long term approach to providing its customers with a sustainable storage and handling network and ensuring South Australian grain remains competitive.