Enzo Galluzzo of ESLAMO led the pre-conference workshop, which kicked off the three-day event. Nearly 100 millers from South and Central America attended the conference.
“We had a lot of positive feedback on the pre-conference workshop,” said Melinda Farris, executive vice-president of the IAOM. “Enzo Galluzzo does a great job conveying a lot of valuable information to the attendees.”
Galluzzo discussed how to evaluate a mill’s operating condition and formulate recommendations for optimization. It is a tool with the objective of maximizing mill performance through the determination of findings in good milling practices that have an important impact on results. The audit can help mills achieve better results in yield, energy consumption, and maintenance.
The technical sessions included 19 presentations over two days. Topics included: The Impact of the New Food Safety Regulations on Wheat Flour in the U.S., Gerardo Morantes, Bühler, Inc.; Flexizym – a New Product Line for Tortillas and Flat Bread Technology; Updating Rollermills in the 21st Century, Mike Richardson, CETEC; Cleaning, Blending and Dampening of Wheat, Alper Iyibicer, Alapala; and 3D Virtual Reality in Flour Milling: The Next Generation in Mill Maintenance and Personnel Training, Andrea Schintu, Ocrim.
A panel discussion on the challenges facing the milling industry featured Galluzo, Johnny Price of Engrain; Leopoldo Giminez of Molino del Sudesto and Ivo Klaric of Molinos Modernos.
“The Latin American millers have similar issues as other millers around the world: food safety, workforce development and retention, training, and to some extent, grain procurement,” Farris said.
The expo included 18 tabletop exhibitors showcasing the latest advances companies have made in the equipment and services they offer the global flour milling industry.
Next year’s conference is scheduled for Bogota, Colombia, in February. The event, which used to be held in conjunction with the annual IAOM Conference and Expo in North America, has in recent years rotated between locations in South and Central America.
“The group that is working on next year’s conference is really excited about hosting everyone in their home country, Colombia,” Farris said. “We have a really great group of millers who are ready to step up and help make next year’s conference even better than before.”
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