Using automation to address efficiency, feed formula management

Western Milling’s facility in Goshen, California was recognized for its work in the commercial dry feed producer category.

Its facility is one of the largest and most diverse feed production operations in the US, producing more than 1.4 million tons of dry commercial feed annually. The facility currently handles more than 1,200 formulations.  

Despite its large size and diverse operations, Western Milling has made feed safety a priority, said the AFIA.

With such large volume, efficiency is key. In a goal setting process, Buster Freeman, director of commercial feed operations at Goshen, realized that additional automation would improve the operation’s overall quality and efficiency, said the association. 

The end result was the incorporation of a WEM system that allowed for the automation of nearly all functions of formula import and management, scheduling and feed production across seven mixing systems. Since the project went live in 2017, Freeman has seen dramatic and immediate results. 

“The bottom line is that our products are safer, higher in quality and produced more efficiently as a result of this investment in automation,”​ said Freeman.