3/22/2011 --- Archer Daniels Midland Company announced the conclusion of a joint investment agreement that Baltic Grain Terminal (BTZ), the company’s joint venture with Baltic Logistic Holdings (BHL), will construct a new grain warehouse in the port of Gdynia, Poland, on the Baltic Coast. The project comes as a result of close collaboration between BTZ and the Gdynia Port Authority. The new warehouse will significantly increase storage capacity for soybean meal at the port’s Indian Quay, while advanced loading and unloading systems will benefit the port and local region by facilitating traffic through the terminal.

“By collaborating with the Gdynia Port Authority on the construction of the new grain warehouse, we hope to not only expand storage capacity for our customers, but also increase import traffic through the terminal by facilitating loading and unloading,” says Tido Boehle, ADM general manager, Terminals and Origination, Europe. “Through efforts to increase the port’s import capabilities, ADM will be better able to support the supply chain and serve vital needs in the region and beyond.”

The new warehouse will have a storage capacity of 30,000 metric tonnes. The warehouse’s surface area of 7520 square meters will be divided into four separate component fields to accommodate four different products at any time.  The construction of the new warehouse is expected to be completed by fall of 2012.

The warehouse will access ships at the Indian Quay by an elevator and conveyor system, which will allow soybean meal to be easily transported into the warehouse’s storage compartments. To unload the stored meal from the warehouse, trucks will be able to load their containers in three independent loading points. In order to minimise traffic intensity during unloading, each loading point will be equipped with truck scales to streamline the process.

Upon completion of the new warehouse, the storage capacity of the BTZ terminal will increase to about 90,000 metric tonnes, giving it the largest grain storage capacity of any terminal in Poland. The additional storage capability, as well as the improved loading and unloading procedures, will reduce the service time of ships and therefore benefit import throughput at the Indian Quay. Additionally, the warehouse’s construction and operations will require new employees and the services of local companies, which in turn will contribute to the regional economy.

“The new warehouse at the Port of Gdynia underscores our commitment to the region and the local supply chain,” explains Boehle. “Poland is an important origination region for our grains and oilseeds business and this new facility will allow us to expand our reach in the country.”

The new facility will be the most advanced grain warehouse in the ports of Gdynia, Gdansk or Sopot. It will meet all requirements of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and will follow the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards for food chain operations. Additionally, the new warehouse will adhere to standards for the preservation of the environment against dust pollution.

In addition to the new warehouse and the BTZ joint venture, ADM’s operations in Poland include an oilseeds crushing and refining facility in Szamotuly that refines and bottles retail vegetable oils, and country elevators in Slawa Wielkopolska and Chróscina. The company also has a joint venture with Princes to distribute vegetable oils in Poland.