Miller Magazine Issue: 135 March 2021

59 COVER STORY MILLER / march 2021 more challenged to deliver the best products with which our cus- tomers can celebrate perfect cooking and baking successes.” A MILL ROOTED IN TRADITION Founded in 1926, the current business is based on the merg- er in 1992 of three mills in the Vorarlberger region. Of the three original joint venture partners, two remain involved in the com- pany today: the Rhomberg family and the Hagen family – both with long milling histories in Vorarlberg. In addition to the flour mill, the company also has a feed mill and a wood pellets produc- tion facility in Dornbirn, Austria. The business prides itself on the continuation of traditions with a modern flavor. Its diverse range of user-friendly flour reci- pes are all based on Vorarlberger originals. "Vorarlberger Kuchen- mehl" (Vorarlberger cake flour) and "Vorarlberger Spätzlemehl" (Vorarlberger spaetzle flour) are household names in the region, for commercial customers and private consumers alike. “The mill processes around 20,000 tons of wheat, durum and spelt annu- ally. These are relatively small quantities in a European context but regionally the mill is one of the larger ones,” says Kollmann. Kollmann comes from a milling family and has been involved in milling since childhood. After graduating from the milling school and master school for milling in Wels, he continued his career with an apprenticeship as a baker. He knows the ins and out of milling in minute detail and is committed to providing cus- tomers with high quality products whilst ensuring the highest level of safety and sustainability in production. He also knows the challenges the industry faces. THE ONGOING DRIVE FOR EFFICIENCY “Milling has always been about efficiency – creating the most from the raw material available at minimum cost and of course within the quality limits. Efficiency is thus king when it comes to new investments,” says Kollmann. The Vorarlberger Mill is a five-story swing mill with a capacity of 110 tons of wheat and 90 tons of durum per 24-hour opera- tion. The mill’s silos hold 8,500 tons of grain. Five different types of semolina are produced alone. “What really matters to us are extraction rates, consistent quality, quick recipe swaps and fast product change times. In comparison to these, pure throughput and capacity are not the most critical factors,” says Kollmann. The range of end-products manufactured at the Vorarlberger Mill is impressive: There are over 30 different flours, semolina and baking mixes. “Schnell & Gut” is the leading brand in Austria with ten different product mixes. The products form the basis for many of the new and traditional recipes of the region and beyond. The customers include commercial and industrial bakeries, restaurants, food service providers and large pasta factories in Austria and the neighboring countries. Private households buy the products mainly in grocery stores but also directly through sales via the mill. Eighty percent of the grain comes from the plains of Lower Austria. The mill has its own railway connection. “The Vorarl- berger Mill is not located in one of the main harvest regions of Austria. That is a competitive disadvantage. As we’re committed to our business here in the Vorarlberg, we need to compensate with product quality, efficiency and innovation,” says Kollmann. This is where leading edge technology comes in. A LEAP AHEAD The Vorarlberger Mill used to operate Bühler’s MDDC roller mills, which had been in service for several decades. By modern