Archer Daniels Midland Company was established in 1902 by George A. Archer and John W. Daniels under the name Archer-Daniels Linseed Company. To summarize Archer Daniels Midland Company, here is a snapshot from their mission statement, “Today, we’re one of the world’s largest agricultural processors and food ingredient providers, with approximately 32,000 employees serving customers in more than 170+ countries. ADM has a globally recognized value chain that strives to connect the harvest to the home” (Archer Daniels Midland, 2018).

The problem we worked to solve is improving operator knowledge of sifter and sieve operation and function. There is general lack of experience in the milling industry due to employee retirement and the difficulty of attracting and retaining employees in a demanding industry. Sifters are essential components to the milling process. Employee knowledge of material flow, particle size separation, and maintenance are critical for operators to understand. Without the proper knowledge and practices, sifters will not be used to their full potential. Two demonstration model sifters are required to aid in employee development and allow for valuable interactions with sifter components, concepts, material flow, and maintenance.

Known attributes of the problem: Sifter concepts and topics are challenging to communicate effectively and clearly; Sifters are large, moving pieces of equipment that pose various safety concerns if employees are unaware and not cautious when working around them; Test sifters are to be used in the ADM Milling Academy Class; Test sifter operation aims to be around 15-20 minutes for adequate operator training sessions; People need to be able to see inside the sifter to show stock flow and sifter flow paths; and An additional small granulation sifter will be used for demonstrating size separation.

It is crucial for operators to understand the operation, material flow, maintenance, and above all, safety of sifters. The demonstration sifters will aid in the knowledge required by ADM’s mill operators and lessen the inherent employee risks inside mills. Increased knowledge and experience, also presents a beneficial business opportunity of running ADM’s sifters more efficiently. Two improvements include keeping a higher percent of flour out of the feed streams and improved extraction yields.