Jean-Pierre BODIN, director of the ENILIA-ENSMIC technological workshop explains the importance for Agripolis to have amongst its amenities this device with unique performances and characteristics.

Why is Surgères' experimental mill unique ?

It is an experimental mill able to test new flours with a capacity of 200 kilograms cereal per hour. Working at such a small scale doesn't exist anywhere else ! There is such a mill in the United States but it works on a higher capacity. Moreover, our device, designed and conceived with the BÜHLER company, worldwide leader in the flour-milling industry, containing grinding cylinders, an optic grading machine at the start of the whole installation and that's really original ! It works continuously whereas the existing infrastructures are recirculation grinders (the flour is recirculated through the system until it becomes sufficiently fine).

The French National Association For Flour-milling (ANMF) has given their recognition for the mill similarity with current industrial processes which is a guarantee of reliability.

Who benefits from this device ?

There are a many ! France Export Céréales is able in particular to welcome foreigner buyers and prove to them, based on the mill's performances, all the advantages they have from buying French wheat. In fact, it can reproduce conditions of uses in other countries : e.g. in Portugal, in Morocco, in Egypt... And as it is an ideal tool for research and development, companies are greatly interested too ! That is to say that existing mills, without this continuous process, always present a discrepancy with industrial process. In Surgères, the process, very adaptable, is representative of what is done in the industry. Even more, professionals benefit from advice and personal assistance. It should be noted that the building also has security access. It is important to guarantee the privacy of the experiments ! The mill is designed amongst other things for fundamental research and futurology.

Can you tell us about its educational dedication ?

About education, you know that in France the only courses dedicated to cereal industry take place at ENILIA-ENSMIC in Surgères on the mill's site.... Of course miscellaneous uses are on the syllabus in particular through new training practices.