ACP Concrete at Camgrain APC

ACP Concrete prestressed wall panels have been installed in the massive 60,000t grain store at Camgrain’s new Advanced Process Centre. The £16m facility was opened in time for the 2009 harvest and possesses some mind-blowing numbers. Try 500 tonnes per hour drying capacity, 90,000 tonnes total storage capacity or 20,000 tonnes per day total intake capacity. Whilst the total numbers are impressive, the individual statistics are perhaps even more impressive. Each articulated lorry is weighed in, the grain sampled and recorded prior to unloading. The site has the capacity to tip 6 vehicles at any one time before the lorry weighed back across the weighbridge and off the site in an average time of around 8 minutes from arrival. The 60,000 tonnes flat store is split into cells to enable Camgrain to store grain of varying specifications. The site has been built to meet the requirements of Sainsbury’s in store bakeries across the country. Camgrain are now able to provide Sainsbury with all the A1 bread grade flour that the supermarket giant requires. This also fulfils Sainsbury’s aim to provide customers with 100% traceable British wheat in all the in-store baked bread. The new grain facility is pushing the boundaries of grain handling and storage on a number of fronts. ACP’s Sales Director Jeremy Nash explains more detail. “There is a constant trend towards longer, wider, higher in all industries. The Camgrain APC facility is right at the top end of our grain storage walling. The walls are 6m high and subject to full surcharged loading with grain heaped up to over 13m at its peak. The load in a 6m bay is colossal”. Although the stores layout was within ACP’s current capacity, the firm is looking to extend its capacity. “We are getting to the limit of the current panels capacities” Mr Nash continues, “we a currently redesigning all the products in accordance with the new Euro codes that come into force later this year. Part of the Engineer’s brief is to look at the next step in terms of grain wall capacity”. So is this new style central storage solution the future for grain handling? Whilst perhaps not suiting everyone’s marketing strategy, it certainly suits the 355 members of the Camgrain co-operative and has some impressive green credentials. It is estimated that the new drying facility will reduce to total carbon dioxide emissions by some 1000 tonnes over the previous farm systems. What is clear is the commitment of ACP Concrete Ltd to provide walling systems to suit every requirement, be those on farm stores or centralized facilities like Camgrain’s flag ship. For more information on prestressed concrete products contact ACP (Concrete) Ltd on 01889 598660

For more information on ACP Concrete at Camgrain APC talk to ACP Concrete Ltd