Miller Magazine Issue: 142 October 2021

68 COVER STORY MILLER / OCTOber 2021 At the heart of the Mill E3 lie more than 15,000 data points collecting information on all aspects of the pro- duction process. It is the volume of data being analyzed, along with the cutting-edge application of blockchain technology, that will enable the most efficient, transpar- ent, and consistent production possible, and therefore the highest quality product. The new plant, built for the UK’s largest miller Whit- worth Bros. Ltd., is situated in the north of England at Whitley Bridge in Yorkshire. The opening of the first Mill E3 is a key staging post in the journey to the SmartMill. The data generated and analyzed at the Whitley Bridge plant will drive the evolution of milling technology from the current data assisted mill into a plant capable of using its own process parameters in a closed loop to optimize production. This develop- ment of the self-adjusting mill will be the precursor to the SmartMill. FROM VISION TO REALITY According to Roman Sonderegger, Head of Business Unit Wheat & Rye at Bühler, the Mill E3 has today turned from a vision to reality. The Whitworth Bros. mill is set to impact the entire milling industry by redefining future dig- ital services. “This is a very significant project for Bühler that allows us, for the first time, to gather so much new data on the milling process, while also giving us the op- portunity to collaborate with Whitworth Bros. as we work closer towards the creation of the SmartMill,” says Son- deregger. “This is also momentous in working towards our corporate target of cutting energy, water, and food wastage by 50% in our customer value chains by 2025.” The opening of the Mill E3 is the culmination of nearly two decades of close cooperation between Bühler and Whitworth Bros. “Bühler is excellent at building flour mills and we are pretty good at running them,” explains Mike Peters, Managing Director of Whitworth Bros. “We can Bühler announced a transformative moment in the history of flour milling with the opening of one of the most high-tech mills on the market. Mill owner Whit- worth Bros. Ltd., the UK’s largest miller, is reaping the benefits of the Mill E3’s technological and digital capabilities. First Mill E3 set to revolutionize the milling industry