Efficiency = energy efficiency

Agricom Group joints various companies, which have their own specifics of the company’s operation. Based on the structural organization of the Group, there are several main segments: logistics, crop growing and storage. Of course, each of them has a great potential for improvement of the effectiveness. Let us take, for example, harvesting. Our companies gather the harvest according to the “three tier system”. Particularly, harvested crop is transferred from a harvesting machine directly to a special bunker and not to a transport vehicle. It allows us to reduce our costs of transport service by 20%, that is why, these are tangible results if we talk about dozens of thousands hectares.

Besides, the company has developed clear regulations for transportation of agricultural products. For example, if the distance is more than 30 km, only dried grain can be transported as its weight is less. To increase energy efficiency in crop growing we use high-quality modern equipment. It saves about 15 % of fuel. Vehicles of the leading global producers till our farmland: Challenger, New Holland, John Deer, Case and others. We place greater focus on deep tillage equipment: disk harrows, subsoilers and others. We can tell from our experience that final capacity of used fuel considerably depends on the design of tillage equipment. Implementation of block system of agriculture, when much attention is paid to improvement of the machinery in the planning stage of cultivated land, gives the tangible results.

Engineering structure and production line of elevator complex of Bilokurakyno cluster were designed and built considering all available technological energy-efficiency solutions. In view of this, we have non-waste production at the stage of primary processing of agricultural products. Husks of grain are pressed into bales, which are used in winter to warm the facilities.

Increase of energy efficiency like other business processes requires appropriate monitoring and analysis. Agricom Group uses few existing information systems to control the movement of vehicles and units, the flow of agricultural production within processing and storage enterprises. All information including impact factors goes to unified information system. Analysis of this data helps to make effective strategic decisions. In fact, it is possible to react to processes in real time.

The problem of energy efficiency becomes more urgent for businesses not only in Ukraine. A rational use of non-renewable resources, a search for alternative energy sources and a responsible attitude to the environment are important elements to improve reputation. For this reason, successful companies do not ask themselves whether to increase their energy efficiency or not, they try to decide the ways of its increasing and do it as quickly as possible. Obviously, it is economically unprofitable not to be energy efficient.

These days, the market encourages owners and top managers of enterprises to minimize expensive budget items. Those, who have succeeded in it, get a considerable competitive advantage. Agriculture traditionally holds a leading position on energy consumption, as fuel and gas are essential components in the cost structure of agricultural output. Obviously, all progressive producers try to reduce their costs (read: Energy efficiency). However, an ambitious aim requires considerable financial investments and organizational activity, and r new technological solutions, which are better than previous ones, regularly enter the market.

Petro Meltyk for AgroTimes.net