CAIRO, EGYPT — IBM, in collaboration with ACME SAICO, on Sept. 27 announced the automation of 22 wheat silos in Egypt by the end of 2021 using IBM AI-powered software.

The announcement comes as the Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade plans to digitize the wheat supply chain and implement governance systems on the country’s strategic stock.

Using IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation and IBM Cloud Pak for Integration, the new solution will allow full automation and governance of all the steps of shipping, transport, storage, and supply of the wheat silos.

Through this advanced technology, the automated platform is engineered to collect data from different sensors that are embedded in the silos. These sensors will send near real-time quantitative analytics of the wheat supply and stock status to the main platform at the Ministry of Supply. The Egyptian Holding Company for Silos and Storage (EHCSS) will be able to monitor and store all information related to the incoming shipments to maintain quality standards, report accurate views of the stock in silos, as well as address leakage in wheat silos extensively.

The system also is designed to help to better manage the communication and coordination between different storage points, and mills.

“We are committed to expanding the wheat silos’ automation across the country,” said H.E. Dr. Ali El-Moselhi, Minister of Supply and Internal Trade. “The automation enables us to instantly monitor the wheat stock through a digital platform, providing the needed visibility to secure the supply chain. The platform, powered by IBM technology, ensures efficiency, stock protection, in addition to addressing logistical redundancies.”

Major General Sherif Bassili, chairman of the board of directors EHCSS, added: “After renovating and increasing the number of silos across the nation, our goal was to build a digital platform to connect all silos with the main center at the EHCSS. Another goal was to automate the documentation processing of the wheat supply chain and monitoring process of the 22 silos and storage points.”

Earlier this year, the launch of the pilot model for the first automated wheat silo took place in Banha, Qualyubia Governorate. Following the success of the pilot, the ministry decided to expand automation to 22 silos before the end of this year. All silos will be monitored from the ministry headquarters and the General Authority for Supply Commodities through IBM Cognos Analytics with Watson connected to the automation platform in use.

As part of the sustainable development strategy of Egypt’s vision for 2030, the government is planning to automate 400 silos, adding them to the wheat supply chain monitoring system.