Most mill maintenance is a question of inspecting equipment for signs of wear, replacing parts and identifying problems before they turn into failures. Equally important is the investment you make into the mill’s human components.

1. Digital Re-print September | October 2013
Managing mill maintenance: Flour mill training
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3. FEATURE
Managing mill
maintenance
Flour mill training
by Richard Sillett
Grain and Feed Milling Technology, United Kingdom
M
ost mill maintenance is a question
of inspecting equipment for
signs of wear, replacing parts
and identifying problems before they
turn into failures. Equally important
is the investment you make into the
mill’s
human
components.
So how do you ensure your technicians
and managers aren’t having their sharp edges
ground down by years of habit? Where
can you source the highest quality of new
employee? And how can these new appointments be fitted into your work processes in
the most effective way?
To quote former UK Prime Minister Tony
Blair, the answer is ‘Education, education,
education’.
Wheat and flour behave according to
complex physical and chemical processes, so
anyone who wants to change aspects of their
recipes or milling needs some understanding
of the science behind them. And the various
kinds of equipment involved provide challenges both in terms of process control and
safety – again, these are elements that – with
education – millers can master.
There are a few providers of training and
qualifications for millers, but this column is
going to focus on four organizations with
a global reach: The National Association
of British and Irish Millers (Nabim); the
International Association of Operative Millers
(IAOM); Bühler; and Kansas State University.
Nabim
Having been at the forefront of the milling
industry in Britain and the Commonwealth,
Nabim has a great deal of experience in
delivering training courses and assessments
to millers. The jewel in its crown is undoubtedly the Advanced Milling Diploma, a threepart course which includes distance learning,
on-site training and on-the-job projects.
On-site training takes place with Nabim’s
partners, namely the British research institute Campden BRI and the Bühler Training
Centre in Uzwil, Switzerland. It’s crucial for
44 | September - october 2013
millers to have the opportunity to learn
using similar machinery to that found in their
day job: industry partnerships like these are
popular for this reason.
The course’s emphasis on projects carried out within the candidate’s own company is another area where the practical meets
the theoretical. Technological or operational
research to benefit the milling industry is
undertaken by analysing and experimenting inside the mill, exemplifying the kind of
continuous improvement that all modern
industries have to be comfortable with.
Expert tutors are also provided (with
strict confidentiality) to ensure that the
research is carried out is of high quality.
Nabim is particularly proud of this aspect of
its assessment process, its tutors also being
used for the distance learning component of
the diploma.
The Advanced Milling Diploma currently
only provides places for 10 candidates every
three years, so it’s the correspondence
courses that are the obvious starting point
for millers seeking professional training.
The courses themselves consist of seven
modules covering the range of flour milling
procedures and activities, and complementing the textbooks are individually-assigned
tutors who assess submitted coursework
and assist their preparation for yearly exams,
which, inevitably, take place in May.
Internationalism
As Nabim can testify, the rapidly industrializing developing countries of the modern
world are driving demand for internationalized milling education. Major growth markets
right now include Southeast Asia and Latin
America, and milling schools work hard to
develop courses that tap into that thirst for
knowledge.
In the USA, Kansas State University is well
placed to take advantage of the demand for
milling education in the Spanish-speaking
parts of the Americas. Its International
Grains Program (IGP) is partnered with Latin
America-focused associations like the United
States Soybean Export Council (USSEC) and
CANIMOLT (Cámara Nacional de la Industria
Molinera de Trigo) and through these organizations holds several training programmes at
its Manhattan, Kansas base every year.
A similar on-site training course is provided every July for Nigerian flour millers,
proving the viability of such educational
programmes in Africa too.
For Latin American millers unable to
attend the course in person, the IGP currently offers one correspondence course
in Spanish, with more in the pipeline. Mark
Fowler, associate director of the International
Grains Program, believes the two philosophies complement each other:
‘The preference is always on-site training
which allows a better personal attention to
the training – education with a hands-on
component is always optimum.
‘But we do understand not everyone
has the time and resources to come to
Manhattan, which is why we are developing
courses that combine both.’
It’s this reason that makes Bühler’s own
training courses stand out in the global
market. The company (from multilingual
Switzerland) is proud of its capacity to
deliver courses in various languages, ranging
from German, English and Spanish to Italian,
Russian and Japanese. Indeed, their expertise
in this area has been crucial to Kansas State’s
efforts to bring milling education to Latin
America.
Networking opportunities
Though it offers a similar mix of residential and correspondence courses, the
IAOM brings something unique to millers
developing their knowledge and abilities. The
week-long residential courses take place at
Kansas State University in conjunction with
its Grain Science and Industry department,
and the whole course syllabus was revised
after a complete overhaul in 2012.
What really makes the IAOM’s offering
stand out are the opportunities presented
by its famous collection of meetings and
&feed millinG technoloGy
Grain

5. FEATURE
conferences. Annual regional expos in the
Middle East and Africa, Southeast Asia and
Latin America regions, as well as the Annual
Conference & Expo held in the United
States, provide significant networking opportunities for millers at all stages of their
careers.
The IAOM is doing a bit of networking of
its own to connect these two services, developing a programme where millers can log
professional development hours for attending or giving presentations at their conferences. In one sense, education never stops,
and this system will allow those seeking
development to teach conference attendees
from their experiences at the cutting edge.
Although the IAOM has become famous
for its global credentials, its unique characteristics make it even more wedded to
the English language than other educational
providers. Executive Vice President Melinda
Farris sees the drawbacks alongside the obvious positives of their association’s approach.
‘Europe has been a tough nut to crack.
We have this formula that has worked
around the world, but they already have
their national milling associations.
‘There’s also a language issue. One of the
great advantages of IAOM is the networking
– if there’s no common language other than
milling, it can be difficult.’
Industry partnerships
One of the most visible aspects of the
milling industry’s training providers is the
level of technical partnership with major
players. Nabim’s courses are tied to the UK’s
Campden BRI, and – like many in the sector
– the Bühler training centre in Uzwil.
The IAOM partners with the Italian machinery manufacturer Ocrim,
and there is a consensus
among providers that the
ability to work with similar
Interview:
equipment to that found in
Nigel Bennett, Secretary, Nabim
a modern mill is a big draw
for students.
Nabim is a British-based association but
Equipment suppliers
a look at your course enrolment shows
also benefit from these
an international dimension. Where in the
partnerships, as Bühler
world are you looking to expand?
marketing manager Isabel
"Over the last few years, around two-thirds to threeMaganto explains:
quarters of all enrolments in our distance learning pro‘These partnerships enable
gramme have been from outside the UK. Traditionally, our
overseas customers have been in the Commonwealth but
Southeast Asia has been a growth area outside that base."
us to get closer to our customers. We are interested to know the needs of our customer, and
offer training courses so they can optimize the
running of their plants.
‘It’s in our own interest to support the
milling education around the world and also
support the best schools. Milling managers
get an opportunity to receive as much input
as possible in a defined, short time, and we
offer them the chance to discover our newest machines and technology.’
And the benefits for Bühler, the company?
‘It’s always very interesting and very
efficient to speak with good educated milling
personnel. Well-educated milling personnel understand things better, they see and
explain their needs. And on the other hand,
we also strengthen our relationship with the
customer and show him how they can profit
from employing well-educated personnel.’
A feeling of responsibility for the direction of the milling industry was common
among all the training providers, corporate
or otherwise. Mills in the developing world
need well-trained personnel, and mills in
Europe, North America and Japan are faced
with the necessity of replacing an ageing but
highly knowledgeable workforce.
Faced with these challenges, one thing is
for certain: educators and training providers
around the world are competing to make sure
you have a solution that’s right for your mill and
your employees.
Can the course compete with the likes of
KSU and IAOM?
"We believe our courses suit training needs throughout
the world, the only limiting factor currently is that they are
delivered in English only. We believe we have a unique
product.
"Whilst there may be other distance learning courses
available, no other programme, so far as we are aware,
provides the same tutor support, keeps its textbooks
so up-to-date through a rolling review process or uses
a rigorous assessment process (of written examination)
to test whether students have retained knowledge and
understanding.
"Where the UK cannot compete is in the provision
of practical mil training facilities such as those available
in Switzerland, Germany, Canada and the USA, to name
just four. The UK never set up a milling school and the
numbers employed here now would not justify it."
What can your courses offer to millers?
"Nabim’s distance learning programme has been running for decades but is kept fresh, not least through
updating each of the seven module textbooks every five
or six years.
‘The programme provides an overview of the industry
and process for all involved in flour milling. It provides the
underpinning knowledge and understanding for all who
wish to progress in the industry, from wheat buyer to flour
salesman, from miller to management trainee.
‘The seven modules each tackle a specific subject area
and the programme allows the flexibility for their study
in any order and combination to suit the individual and
their mill."
&feed millinG technoloGy
Grain
September - october 2013 | 45

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