Staff Reporter
Windhoek-Local animal feed producer, Feedmaster, has invested N$31 million in modern feed mill technology to serve livestock producers with advanced scientific and technologically advanced animal feeds.
This massive investment was made in light of constant growth in the ruminant feed market sector and advances in local precision farming practices, which require the use of animal feeds to improve livestock production profitability. The new Feedmaster ruminant feed mill will replace the current feed mill in Windhoek’s northern industrial area.
The construction of the latest technology Techmach designed ruminant feed mill commenced in January 2017 and will be commissioned during September 2017. The Feedmaster feed mill on the farm Okapuka – used for the production of monogastric animal feeds – came into production during November 2013.
Feedmaster is part of the Namib Mills Investments (NMI) Group of Companies, comprising of a number of dynamic and diversified subsidiaries in the wheat and maize milling industry, pasta manufacturing, broiler production, animal feed and related manufacturing industries. The group has investments in Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland, Mauritius and South Africa.
Feedmaster is the leading animal feed manufacturer in Namibia and was founded in 1983. Feedmaster was registered as a full subsidiary of Namib Mills, with the initial objective of adding value to milling by-products.
Initially Feedmaster only had maize chop as strategic raw material available and the first mixed feeds were produced with shovels on a cement platform. With Namib Mills investing in a wheat mill during 1986, a wider range of feed products were developed and manufactured with motorised mixing equipment. Feedmaster and its subsidiary Veekos in Upington South Africa have grown to an animal feeds business with annual sales in excess of 160 000t, and an annual turnover in the order of N$800 million.
The new Feedmaster ruminant feed mill is designed to produce twice as much as the current milling capacity and will be able to produce feeds at a rate of 20t per hour. The pellet mill capacity is designed to produce 10t per hour. Thus the feed mill will be able to produce more than 400t ruminant feeds per day with an annual theoretical capacity of approximately 140 000t. Energy efficient equipment with higher output and low electricity demand will not only reduce the cost of production, but will contribute to reduce the environmental impact of carbon emissions. This will enable Feedmaster to stay internationally competitive and contribute to a lower carbon footprint. World leading industrial processing, conveying, mixing and milling equipment with lower noise and dust pollution levels will enhance the working environment and contribute to the health and safety of employees, the company says.
The improved feed mill automation and system integration will result in less downtime between different product batches, and the total production process will be less labour dependent. The advanced process control system will benefit the constant mill output and consistent final product quality.
Bulk ingredient and raw material handling facilities will contribute to savings on packaging material and reduce raw material wastages. Automated batching, dosing and liquid addition with limited human handling of ingredients reduce the risk of weighing errors and improve speed of production. Double phase incorporation of liquid molasses reduces the cross-contamination risk and cleaning of equipment.
The new feed mill design allows Feedmaster to produce a diversified range of specialised products, ranging from roughage, containing feeds for game to macro feed concentrates for the feedlot industry.
The technically advanced and accurate batching and uniform mixing technology will result in precision feed formulations and superior animal performance. Today Feedmaster provides its customers with a wide range of scientifically tested animal feed products, developed especially for Namibian conditions.