Rakesh Shroff
Global Head of Market Segment Rice Solutions
Bühler

When it comes to excellence in rice milling, Bühler’s UniLine is proving that less is more. It offers a winning combination of maximum efficiency and flexibility with lower investment and operating costs.

Rice is a staple food for around 3.5 billion people – almost half of the world’s population. While this means that ongoing demand for such an essential product remains high, the rice milling industry has been facing a number of challenges, not least sharply rising energy costs. Add to this the ever-increasing levels of competitiveness in the sector and it can be hard for smaller businesses not to be sidelined by the major producers. 

One innovation that’s helping to level the playing field, however, is UniLine – a ground-breaking, highly flexible solution from Bühler. Its simplicity and efficiency – and unique modular design – has the potential to revolutionize an industry that has previously often needed large amounts of highly complex machinery and skilled labor for installation, both of which can obviously be extremely expensive. 

FAST TURNAROUND

UniLine’s structure means it can be easily installed without expert help, and it’s also designed to make optimum use of available space. Not only can it fit into far smaller areas than previous milling lines, with no need for multiple floors, it can also be fully operational far more quickly than traditional rice milling solutions. A typical timescale from initial order right through to commissioning is within 8 to 10 months – this includes everything from building specifications and order processing to manufacturing, installation, and a fully running plant.  

When Sri Lankan rice producers Lathpandura Agribiz chose to upgrade to UniLine, for example, the entire 150-ton-capacity solution was delivered and finalized in around half the time a project like this would usually need. “It normally takes around six months for machines to be ready, but the UniLine only took three months,” comments Bühler Sales Manager Amrith Gardihewa. 

ENGINEERING REVOLUTION 

But it’s when the UniLine is up and running in the plant that the wide range of benefits really become apparent. UniLine represents a revolution in engineering, taking up less space and energy, and providing far greater efficiency and yield. Not only does it offer 60% faster cleaning and two hours more plant availability, it also uses 23% less energy and 25% less cabling when compared to a conventional rice mill. 

The distance travelled by the grain is cut by half – enabling more than 70% faster grain travel time – while product changeover can be achieved twice as quickly than was previously the case. It’s this combination of reduced size and optimal efficiency that allows Bühler to offer a big mill’s performance without a big mill’s energy cost – it may be smaller, but it’s also highly productive. 

This simple and compact design also means that the entire line can easily be supervised by just one operator from a single standpoint. Not only does this cut labor and training costs, it also dramatically reduces the potential for operator error and means that any issues can be quickly and effectively identified and addressed. While a traditional mill will usually have large empty spaces and multiple storeys to climb up and down, UniLine operates on a single fully visible line, streamlining operations to an extent not previously thought possible.  

MODULAR DESIGN, MAXIMUM FLEXIBILITY

Flexibility is the watchword at every step of the way. Customers can opt for a full-service installation, or choose to source some parts locally themselves. UniLine’s modular design also allows them to add, remove or change modules as their needs – and the demands on their business – evolve. 

All individual elements are custom-designed to seamlessly fit into any building layout, and to create whatever personalized line best fits the customer’s requirements. The separate, stand-alone modules available include polishers, optical sorters and destoners for maximum flexibility – regardless of whether the mill is a two-pass or three-pass facility – to which whiteners can also be added. 

This modular design allows for easy customization and scalability, while processing can also be configured to suit. The fact that modules can be added or swapped means the plant can be set up for different processing capabilities, enabling operators to achieve optimal machine capacity with minimal impact on the overall plant footprint. 

UniLine’s base version is just nine meters high, 15 meters wide, and 35 meters long, leading to not just far higher levels of efficiency but a footprint that’s 30% smaller than a conventional mill. Overall mill volumes are reduced by 60% and the amount of bins and hoppers by 70%, while the amount of necessary steel construction is more than 40% lower. 

MILLING MADE EASY

Designed to make milling the easiest it’s ever been, UniLine brings the ultimate in simplicity to the customer – providing far more for far less. But the last word should probably go to one of those customers, Managing Director of Lathpandura Agribiz, Dineth Gunathilake. “We chose Bühler because we felt they offered the best engineering advice to design the most optimal plant,” he says.

About Bühler 

Bühler is driven by its purpose of creating innovations for a better world, balancing the needs of economy, humanity, and nature in all its decision-making processes. Billions of people come into contact with Bühler technologies as they cover their basic needs for food and mobility every day. Two billion people each day enjoy foods produced on Bühler equipment; and one billion people travel in vehicles manufactured using parts produced with Bühler solutions. Countless people wear eyeglasses, use smart phones, and read newspapers and magazines – all of which depend on Bühler process technologies and solutions. Having this global relevance, Bühler is in a unique position to turn today’s global challenges into sustainable business.

As a technology partner for the food, feed, and mobility industries, Bühler has committed to having solutions ready to multiply by 2025 that reduce energy, waste, and water by 50% in the value chains of its customers. It also proactively collaborates with suppliers to reduce climate impacts throughout the value chain. In its own operations, Bühler has developed a pathway to achieve a 60% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 (Greenhouse Gas Protocol Scopes 1 & 2, against a 2019 baseline).

Bühler spends up to 5% of turnover on research and development annually to improve both the commercial and sustainability performance of its solutions, products, and services. In 2024, some 12,350 employees generated a turnover of CHF 3.0 billion. As a Swiss family-owned company with a history spanning 165 years, Bühler is active in over 140 countries around the world and operates a global network of 105 service stations, 31 manufacturing sites, and research and training centers in 26 locations.

www.buhlergroup.com