Miller Magazine Issue: 148 April 2022

71 MILLER / APRIL 2022 NEWS While the milling machinery industry continues to expand and gain more im- portance; food safety, sustainability and digitalization stand out as hot topics for the industry. The suppliers we met at the exhibition stated that they acceler- ated their investments and R&D studies in these areas. Consumers are now more conscious of where the food they eat comes from, and how and under what safety stan- dards it is produced. The flour industry is no exception. Therefore, as food safe- ty standards are getting tighter, suppli- ers are reviewing their machine designs to meet this demand. Another topic is energy saving. Be- cause energy cost is the second big- gest item for flour industrialists following raw material cost. Many milling machinery manufacturers we talked to at IDMA said that they are working on energy-efficient machines/systems that will reduce elec- tricity costs at the facilities. Let me give you a piece of good news here. Some of them will release their new systems to the market in the upcoming months. Although our industry has made great strides in automation and digitalization, there is still a need for trained and expe- rienced millers. IDMA leads the way in this regard, too. IDMA also serves as a platform for training of the qualified la- bor force that the milling, flour and feed sector need. Association of Grain and Pulses Processing Technologies, Stor- age and Analysis Systems (TABADER), which brings together the stakeholders of the milling industry under its roof, provided certified milling training at IDMA for the fourth time.