2020 marks the start of a new chapter for our “Info” publication.

BMA is evolving to become a digital service provider

The world’s largest beet sugar factory is under construction in Egypt
Canal Sugar, a project for the largest beet sugar factory in the world, breaks all records. And BMA plays a key role in it: we are supplying the largest extraction plant ever built, and are responsible for its integration with the overall factory concept.

BMA supplies plants for modernisation of Drayton sugar factory
Several years ago, the American Crystal Sugar Company (ACS) started to systematically modernise their Drayton, North Dakota factory. In 2019, it was the turn for a new BMA sugar dryer and a VKT vertical continuous pan for B product.

BMA studies crystallisation of sugar substitutes
In January 2019, the Finnish company Fazer announced that they would be building a plant to produce the sugar substitute xylitol. That is the context for our study on the crystallisation behaviour of solutions containing xylose or xylitol.

Dear readers,

We are all familiar with it, from our own life and from those around us: growing up, leaving home, maybe starting a family, and possibly moving from a flat into a house – constant change. But if we did not constantly develop and learn, there would be no progress.

Al Nouran sugar factory: commissioning completed in spring
The scope of our contract for construction of the new Egyptian Al Nouran sugar factory for Al Sharkiya Sugar Manufacturing (ASSM) is such that we have reported on its progress in several issues of BMA Info. Now, commissioning of the factory has just been completed.

A major step for beet extraction in China – thanks to BMA
Hulunbuir Shengtong Sugar Technology Co. Ltd. has been planning to expand its beet sugar business in Hulunbuir, the northernmost region of Inner Mongolia, since early 2017.

Production start at sugar refinery in Eastern China
What started a few years ago with a contract for basic engineering has become reality: in December 2018, Dafeng Yinmore Sugar’s new refinery started production of very high-quality white sugar.

The molasses-massecuite mingler for a better way to treat C massecuite
In many countries, our molasses-massecuite mingler (MMM) technology is well-established. Now, it has conquered a new market: Latin America.

Crystallisation growing stronger in Latin America
We have been working hard in Latin America to be considered more than just a manufacturer of centrifugals. Since the beginning of the decade, BMA has completed engineering projects in El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and ­Panama. At the end of a project, a contract for equipment from BMA often follows, and this is what happened in Colombia.

Tubular falling-film evaporator replaces plate pack design
In December 2017, the Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative in Wahpeton, North Dakota, decided to buy a new falling-film evaporator for the first effect of their evaporator station. Their aim: creating better operating conditions for the whole station.

New sugar dryer from BMA America for North Dakota
The American Crystal Sugar Company is welcoming a new drum dryer and cooler. This will help operators at the Drayton sugar factory in North Dakota solve one problem: the large ­differences in temperature between the seasons.

A drying system and fluidised-bed cooler for more capacity
Increasing capacity with only a small investment – is that really possible? Adding a fluidised-bed cooler to your drying system opens up a range of new opportunities.

BMA falling-film evaporator in Australia
Bundaberg in the Australian state of Queensland is home to BMA’s first falling-film evaporator (FFE) on the continent: the first effect of an evaporator station in a cane sugar factory with 6,000 t/d capacity.

A concept for juice purification ­ from BMA
Operation of the new juice purification station at the Znamenskiy sugar factory in Russia is based on the pre-carbonatation principle. What makes this method so special? And how can beet sugar factories and sugar refineries benefit from state-of-the-art physical and chemical juice purification?

Construction of Al Reef sugar refinery is progressing well
About three years ago, BIA (Biomass Industries Associates), who specialise in EPCM contracts in the MENA region, awarded BMA several major orders for key equipment for the main process stations of the Al Reef sugar refinery. The first stage of the project has now been completed and the refinery is taking shape.

Four falling-film evaporators and a VKT for the SUTA sugar factory
Some years ago, we prepared an energy and upgrade study for the SUTA sugar factory owned by the COSUMAR Group, in close collaboration with SUTA’s own engineers. One outcome of this study has been the installation of four falling-film evaporators (FFE) for different effects, and of a large 5-chamber vacuum pan.

New extraction plant from BMA at Dobrovice
A new plant with new capabilities: BMA has delivered a cossette mixer (6.7 diameter x 8.5 m) to Tereos Dobrovice. It replaces an old mixer (5.6 diameter x 8 m), also built by BMA.

BMA organises first Nigerian sugar symposium
With around 190 million people, Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country. BMA assists Nigerian sugar producers in their task of making Nigeria self-sufficient in sugar. This includes knowledge transfer.

Digital technologies are changing the way we work. They offer a range of opportunities for increasing ­output, also in sugar production.

Review of the BMA symposium on digitalisation
In industry, politics and the media, at meetings, confe­rences and trade fairs, there’s no way now of ignoring digitalisation and the Internet of Things (IoT). In November 2018, BMA hosted a symposium under the motto “Smart enough? The sugar industry in the digital age“.

smart4sugar: data analysis for better decision-making
Information is a valuable resource. To stay well ahead of the competition, data have to be available and analysed promptly. How can that be done? With the smart4sugar solution from BMA.

Smart control system for operation of batch centrifugals

BMA develops system for automated dosing of flocculants
One process step in sewage treatment plants involves adding flocculants to sewage sludge after biological treatment, for dehydration of the sludge before disposal. BMA has managed to improve this process ­considerably.

How BMA promotes innovation and achieves better performance
Passion for Progress is the guiding principle for all BMA employees. We collect ideas and gain experiences, make suggestions for improvement, and close gaps in our knowledge. Our ­motivation is to continuously improve our products.

How automation can improve crystallisation results
Operating conditions in cane sugar factories are changing everywhere the world – to such an extent that a fundamental review of the production concept has become necessary. One major aspect is automation.

Our expertise comes in handy where the group of polyols is concerned
The food industry is always on the lookout for new ideas and concepts for enhancing the nutritional value of foodstuffs. One major contribution comes from BMA.

Perfectly divided: cycle time manufacturing at BMA
High-quality products, short lead times, high efficiency and flexibility – all of these characterise manufacturing today. Plus, of course, on-time delivery.

BMA Russia goes from strength to strength
Back in 2011, just after it was set up, BMA Russia was only a service centre that employed six engineers. Today, it is the largest engineering firm in the sugar sector in Eastern Europe.

Why the Fenasucro & Agrocana trade fair is so important for BMA
What’s the first country that comes to mind when we talk about sugar? Brazil, of course. The prominent position of the Brazilian sugar industry is reflected in the trade fair world.

First meeting of BMA engineers for international project business
For our centrifugal experts in After-Sales, regular meetings are a long-established tradition. Now BMA’s on-site assembly staff in the project business have followed suit: they had their first meeting in Braunschweig at the end of last year.

A truly international team, also on the football pitch
BMA has a network of subsidiary companies and sales offices that spans the globe. People from over 25 nations work at BMA’s main site in Braunschweig alone. This is reflected in our football team.

Good staff are a key factor in our success – which is why we believe in training

The executive boards and shareholders of Salzgitter Maschinenbau AG (SMAG) and BMA Braunschweigische Maschinenbauanstalt AG (BMA) have signed a contract for the merger of the two companies. The deal will create a strong group of companies with a focus on internationality situated between Harz and Heide, with an excellent extended portfolio in mechanical engineering and plant construction.

BMA MENA moves to new offices in Tunis
BMA MENA, our Tunisian subsidiary, has moved to new offices in the immediate vicinity of the contracting firm BIA (Biomass Industries Associates).

BMA employee Robert Bessel talks about his passion
Floating through the air – who hasn’t dreamed about it... Robert Bessel, Senior Manager Health, Safety & Environment at BMA in Braunschweig since May 2018, has made this dream come true. He has turned his hobby, ballooning, into a small enterprise.

Dear readers,
The only constant is change. That is also true for developments in the sugar market. Sugar prices had only just recovered in autumn 2017 – and now, a few months later, they are falling again. Analysts are expecting a record global harvest and considerable production surpluses for the 2017/2018 campaign. So the sugar market will continue to be full of surprises. Particularly where...

New refinery construction for Dafeng Yinmore Sugar is progressing well
In Dafeng, our customer Dafeng Yinmore Sugar’s new refinery has been growing ever taller for over a year now. The factory complex is located just three kilometres from the coast, on a reclaimed land site. A whole new industrial area will be developed here, with excellent links to global trade routes.

Engineering Network delivers tailor-made solutions – such as in China
Basic engineering, detailed engineering and the piping design for the sugar house: those were our job specifications from the Yunan Yinmore Group in China. In November 2017, BMA completed the 4,000 t/d refinery project and handed over all documentation.

Complete solutions from BMA integrate all our strengths
In over 160 years, the BMA Group has equipped more than 600 factories – an impressive record! Thanks to our wealth of experience, we can offer complex solutions to the sugar and food industries, for single process steps and complete factories alike.

for cane sugar factory in Thailand
The Japanese Mitsui Group has commissioned Guangxi Construction Engineering (GCE), based in Nanning, China, with building a cane sugar factory for its Kaset Phol subsidiary in Thailand. In this project, the engineering experts from BMA play an important role, because Mitsui have high standards regarding process efficiency and sugar quality.

Huge performance boost for Kirsanov sugar factory
Due to be commissioned in 2021: the new sugar factory near the Russian town of Kirsanov, immediately next to the old factory site. And what distinguishes the new plant from the old one? First of all its capacity, which will be seven times higher.

Salivonkovsky beet sugar factory benefits from two new dryers
Most drying and cooling processes require large amounts of energy. Which is why cost and energy efficiency are top priorities for dryers from BMA. Such as the two plants we built for a beet sugar factory at Hrebinky.

BMA supplies machinery and equipment for sugar factory in Nigeria
Nigeria may be Africa’s most populous country by far, but it is not the continent’s biggest sugar producer. That is about to change.

BMA builds two cane diffusers
Diffuser technology is on the rise. In cane sugar factories requiring extraction plants with outstanding performance, high availability and low maintenance, diffusers are often the equipment of choice.

Side by side with BMA: Indonesian refineries upgrade capacities
Over the past 30 years, BMA has made a name for itself in Indonesia as a partner for technology and equipment. We have installed more than 200 centrifugals, 30 pumps, 20 batch pans, four dryers and one diffuser, giving us excellent references from both the private and public sectors.

Centrifugal assembly in Brazil
For BMA Brazil, 2017 was again filled with a range of activities relating to centrifugal production.

Equipment from BMA America at TV location
Gold Rush is a popular reality TV series in the United States. The television location was equipped with the help of BMA America, with a trommel screen for gold mining built by our team.

Why more and more factories rely on OVCs
Central America is another part of the world where continuous cooling crystallisers (OVC) from BMA are rated highly. So what is it that makes our OVCs so successful?

BMA Automation turns attention
If you want to be at the cutting edge, you have to be flexible. That applies in particular to business fields that move at breakneck speed – such as automation technology.

Extraction towers from BMA – a success story
BMA has been a pioneer in the sugar industry in many ways, such as with the development of extraction towers. In the mid-twentieth century, we were the first company who tried to process beet cossettes in continuous operation on an industrial scale. It was the starting point for a technology that is in use around the globe today.

The DMS from BMA – now available to our customers
Storing, managing and sharing data and information: for the efficient organisation of large projects, BMA uses a specially developed document management system (DMS). We now offer our customers a tailor-made version of this DMS.

Across industry boundaries, our manufacturing expertise is in demand
BMA has been a leading supplier of equipment to the international sugar industry for more than 160 years. As well as building complex and highly dynamic machinery such as centrifugals, a special service we offer is handling oversized plants and apparatus.

New level of development for massecuite pump from BMA
Pumps of various types can be found in many places throughout a sugar factory: centrifugal pumps, for instance, move cossette/juice mixtures, and positive-displacement pumps discharge runoff. Then there are massecuite pumps. They move crystal suspensions, so-called massecuites, between, say, the vertical continuous pan and the centrifugal station or the cooling crystalliser.

Its international focus is a key asset for BMA
Since its beginnings, BMA has implemented thousands of projects for customers across the globe, each of them unique. Our technical, financial, geographical, administrative and time resources form the wealth of experience and expertise we rely on in our projects.

The After-Sales team from BMA keeps your plants up to date
In the cost analysis of a plant, what counts even in the medium term is not the initial investment but operating costs throughout its service life. Which is why BMA offers its customers a wide range of preventive maintenance and repair services.

Surprised?
A compromise is a solution that is reached by all sides making concessions and accepted by all stakeholders. But we set the highest standards – for our products, ourselves and our international organisation. So we make no compromises.

Research and development are key factors of our success
Since its beginnings, BMA has developed many technical innovations. That is reflected in our vision, Passion for Progress. The focus is especially on our Research & Development (R&D) team, the BMA department that transforms this vision into reality.

CSR is firmly rooted in our corporate culture
BMA first defined its company vision in 2005, in a small booklet that has become a big success. It has been reprinted four times, the last time in December 2017.

BMA China invests in new office and workshop
BMA (Nanning) Industries Co., Ltd. are based right in the heartland of the Chinese cane sugar industry, in Nanning. It is the capital of the Guangxi Autonomous Region, which accounts for over 60 % of national sugar production.

Frequent conference appearances by sugar technologists from BMA
In many sugar-producing regions, they are the most important industry events of the year: the meetings of sugar technologist associations.

Always on the move, also in sports
BMA likes a challenge – whether it involves running races, playing football matches or towing oversized vehicles. Even in their spare time, BMA employees enjoy working as a team and crossing the finish line together.

… the international management of the BMA Group

Dear readers,
By the end of 2015, sugar prices had bottomed out and soon after, analysts recorded a clear rise.

So things are looking up. It remains to be seen how strong a trend this is and how long it will continue. Already influences from various sources are felt, for instance, excess production, the currency development of the Brazilian real, and speculative trading.

Construction of the Dafeng refinery is reaching its final stage
As China continues to grow, its wealth is increasing. The rising demand for sugar is evidence of this development and the reason why the country's processing capacities need to be expanded. BMA is delighted to help – with engineering services and equipment for a new refinery at Dafeng.

Available now – the new, extremely compact model of the K3 series: the K3080.
Meet the new addition to our product range of continuous centrifugals, the extremely compact K3080. It has excellent DNA: with more than 500 machines commissioned since 2010, the K3 series has been setting new standards in centrifugal design. The K3080 succeeds the K850 and K1100. It is the perfect solution for use in...

BMA supplies equipment to Nippon Beet Sugar Manufacturing
StateAn extraction tower and a countercurrent cossette mixer – these are the items of equipment BMA is supplying to Japan’s largest sugar producer. What Nippon Beet Sugar Manufacturing wants to achieve is greater reliability for the next campaign.

Engineering, procurement, construction: BMA provides complete solutions.
Every order may be unique and specific to one customer, but engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) projects from BMA are a consistent and reliable standard. We are committed to delivering expert solutions made in Germany anywhere in the world.

Strengthening sales in the SEAP region
Physical proximity to customers and providing personal and technical assistance are the keys to continuing business success. With Hong Kong, BMA has placed a new pin on its map of sales offices.

The Olympic motto “faster, higher, stronger” characterised last summer’s Games in Rio de Janeiro. It also aptly describes the development of BMA’s product business. With sales of well over 200 centrifugals in 2016, BMA has consolidated its top position as the world’s leading supplier of centrifugals to the sugar industry. We were able to strengthen products from BMA in our regular markets, as well...

The advantages of a seeding system from BMA
Since 2014, BMA have been working very closely with Grupo CASSA from El Salvador. Our common goal is to improve energy efficiency and sugar output of their Izalco and Chaparrastique cane sugar factories.

The Bruckner tank: three reference projects for BMA Russia
Collaboration between the R&D department at our main site in Braunschweig, Germany, and BMA Russia has resulted in a product that enhances our portfolio for the sugar sector: the Bruckner tank. It removes sediment sludge and ensures thorough cleaning of the circulating flume water.

Why science is of particular importance at BMA
At BMA, we continuously improve our plants and machinery, based on scientific findings from tests, which we use in product development.

A special drying system for sewage treatment
It takes up very little space, saves up to 95 percent of energy for drying, works fast and produces no smells: the drying of sewage sludge using superheated steam. Beet sugar factories have been relying on this technology for some time, but for sewage treatment plants, it is a new approach to sludge disposal and capacity extension.

Sugar factories and refineries opt for a tried and tested method
BMA has a tradition of developing juice purification systems. Milestones include the “Braunschweig Juice Puri cation System 65” and its successor “BMA 78”. The focus of current projects is on upgrading and optimising existing systems and building new ones.

Plans for digitalisation and networks in BMA’s workshops
For some time now, Industry 4.0 has been the term you hear whenever the conversation turns to the future orientation of mechanical and plant engineering companies. If manufacturers and researchers are to be believed, entirely new and pro table business models can be established with the digitalisation and networking of products.

An interview with Carsten Rehbock, Senior Manager Engineering

BMA America offers improved service at Greeley
Based in Greeley, Colorado, BMA America has been working on the American continent for several decades. Our range of products and services includes the sale of equipment and spare parts, as well as service and maintenance.

BMA Automation completes process control system for the Agrosnabsakhar factory
BMA have maintained a fruitful partnership with the Agrosnabsakhar sugar factory, based in Elets in Russia, since 2010. Our subsidiary BMA Automation has played a key role in the factory conversion.

Smart Sequencing for centrifugals in a cluster
Better performance and lower operating costs – these goals are becoming ever more important for the sugar industry. Also in the use of batch centrifugals. BMA focuses especially on improving their energy efficiency.

A new addition to our range of manufacturing methods: water jet cutting
From thermal separation to welding and to moulding, and from machining to surface finishing: BMA uses many different metalworking techniques in its workshops. Now we have further expanded our vertical integration with water jet cutting.

The VKT – a highly efficient process solution
More than 30 years have passed since the first vertical continuous pan (VKT) was commissioned in Germany. Since then, the apparatus has become more and more widely used. Initially in European beet sugar factories; then, in 1995, the first VKT for high-purity products (massecuite purity of about 99.5 percent) was installed in Dubai. In recent years, it...

Construction of Russia’s largest beet sugar factory is progressing well
Not far from the Russian town of Kirsanov, a beet sugar factory is taking shape that will eclipse all other factories in the country. The plants, due to be commissioned by 2021, include evaporator technology from BMA.

Trade fairs and conferences play an important part for BMA
Even though business is an increasingly digital world, there is nothing like a face-to-face talk at one of our industry’s trade fairs or conferences.

BMA offers glimpses of the company on the social media
Social media are gaining in importance – also for BMA. Our new company pro les on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and other similar websites provide exciting opportunities to find out more about the BMA Group and its global activities.

On 29 February 2016, a leap day, Schweizer Zucker AG (SZU) based in Aarberg, Switzerland, placed an order with BMA for supply and installation of a vertical cooling crystalliser with oscillating tube bundles (OVC).

Upgrades improve centrifugal performance and efficiency
Sugar factories and refineries upgrade their centrifugals to keep them up to date, for better performance, efficiency, functionality and hygiene. BMA has now upgraded twelve centrifugals at Nordzucker AG’s Klein Wanzleben factory near Magdeburg in Saxony-Anhalt.

BMA supplies key equipment for Al Reef sugar refinery
The sugar industry in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA region) is growing: existing refineries are increasing their capacity and new plants are under construction. BMA is proud to be involved in many of these projects – such as the construction of the Al Reef refinery in Saudi Arabia. Our customer: Biomass Industries Associates (BIA).

BMA Brazil: study to increase the extraction output of diffusers
Brazil is the number one sugar producer and exporter in the world. In this major market, BMA is represented by its subsidiary BMA Brasil Equipamentos Industriais – manufacturing the latest generation of centrifugals and providing engineering services.