Miller Magazine Issue 110 / February 2019

34 NEWS MILLER / FEBRUARY 2019 Grain processing revenue record high in China’s breadbasket province China’s major grain-producing province Heilongjiang secured robust growth in grain processing last year, with revenue in the sector reaching record 100 billion yuan (15 billion U.S. dollars). Revenue surged by 27 percent com- pared with 2017, according to a provincial conference on grain affairs. A total of 36.15 billion kg of grain were processed in 2018, up 31 percent on than the previous year. Corn, rice and soybean were among the major grains processed. Heilongjiang is a major supplier of food crops such as corn, rice and soybean in China. The province saw total grain output of 75.05 billion kg in 2018, accounting for over 10 percent of the country’s total output, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. XINHUA Gericke says thank you for 125 years of customer’s trust From humble beginnings in the year 1894, the company Gericke evolved into a globally positioned and successful provider full of solutions in the bulk goods industry. This is reason enough to take a look at the Swiss family business‘ history. 1894 in the heart of Zürich Ing. Walter H. Gericke founded his machine and mill building factory. He attained quickly an excellent reputation as a speci- alist and as a reliable supplier of modern, partly al- ready automated, milling plants. He sold roller mills from the prestigious company Seck from Dresden. Other important process steps involved particular- ly corn cleaning, storageing, conveying, sifting and mixing grains and flours. The vast array of machines was already widely-ranged. At the beginning of the 20th century Gericke constructed its first vertical mixers and celebrated a major success with the patented „Soder-mills“, which resulted a higher yield. Innovation was in the foreground in the 40’s with the construction of pneumatic conveying systems and vibrational dosing unit or with steel band conveyors for chocolate in- dustries. In this period of time the second generation with Otto and Walter Gericke was already standing at the helm. From the 60’s on Dr. Hermann and Willi Geric- ke set significant milestones with the internationa- lization. New technologies remained in the focus, whereby less common types of machines succeeded into the program through licence agreements with US companies. The types of machines included the differential weigh feeder, the sack compactor and the continuous granulators. The target market inc- luded long ago new aspiring industries like chemical industries and food industry. Machine installations for the production of high-quality children’s food have already been a core competency of the com- pany then. Markus Gericke is leading the company in the 4th generation. The reliability and the durability of Gericke machines and installations is legendary. Meanwihle the engeneering and the construction competence has been extended to new locations like Asia, United States of America and South America. The Gericke Group Management is employing worl- dwide over 300 employees in 12 different locations, which renders customer’s clossnes with local teams. The family business is happy about the deca- de-long trust, which customer’s have given. The executive Management and all the employees want to express their gratitude and are excited about new and interesting projects. Pneumatic conveying systems from the brochure 100 years Gericke.