Miller Magazine Issue: 112 April 2019

86 COVER STORY APRIL 2019 while the plastic acts as a physical barrier and an insulator against the weather. Current FEA (finite element analysis) modelling can optimize the design to avoid the compli- cated loads and ad-hoc solutions improvised for projects in the past. Using (again, old news) a honeycomb arrangement of bins built with this technology we could maximize the use of land and better segregate the grains according to qualities and properties. Dwight Kinzer has a patent on a conveying system specifically for this kind of facility. The Kinzer system (Hex-Pak) allows for a very deta- iled segregation of grains according to varieties, mo- isture, and other characteristics, at a fraction of the cost of what a traditional system would require. It also provides a fool proof system to perform traceability, which is impossible in the traditional larger bins. In the traditional system, grain is just a commodity and you switch grains inside the bins as farmers bring it in and millers take it out. In a Hex-Pak, you can separate the shipment from each farmer and tell the miller exactly what he is buying. Imagine being able to do that after a fusarium alert? As I said in a previous article, the world is moving in the direction of complete customization. That’s what 3D printing (my guilty hobby) is for. You can downlo- ad a design from internet (www.thingiverse.com) and print it at home. Or you can design your own, using cheap and easy software like TinkerCAD. Currently you can buy a custom-tailored suit over the internet. Why not ordering a customized flour? The percentage of people in the world, living in po- verty in 1981, was 44%. Right now, it is below 10%, and still declining. As more and more people are lifted out of poverty, they will want products of higher qua- lity. As you have more money, your uniqueness becomes more important. Maybe you have gut problems and need more fiber. Or your kids only eat pasta, so you want more vitamins and proteins in the dishes you make for them. That’s what customized flour could do. The technology that we need is already available. The hardware is there. We just need the imagination to make it a reality and accelerate our way into the future.