Blumberg Grain, a US-based food security company, opened its command and control center, as part of the government of Egypt's Shouna Development Project.
The launch, which was attended by VIP guests and dignitaries, took place onsite at the Egyptian Holding Company for Silos and Storage (EHCSS) in Cairo on Sunday, 20 December 2015.
The Blumberg Grain Command and Control Center is a comprehensive management system that monitors grain and other harvested products as they are deposited by farmers, processed, stored and eventually distributed to retailers and customers. The initiative is the continuation of Blumberg Grain's transformational Shouna Development Project, which was launched in Alexandria, Egypt earlier this year.
Guests included His Excellency Dr. Khaled Hanafy, Minister of Supply and Internal Trade; Philip Blumberg, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Blumberg Partners; David Blumberg, CEO of Blumberg Grain, Middle East and Africa; Tom Goldberger, Charge d'Affaires, U.S. Embassy in Egypt, and Mr. Mahmoud Abdel Hamid Mahmoud, Chairman of EHCSS. Senior representatives from the Armed Forces Engineering Authority and the US Embassy in Cairo were also present.
"Food security has become a growing concern across the world. In Egypt, the loss of wheat and other grains has been detrimental to the national economy. The launch of Blumberg Grain's Command and Control Center is a major milestone in food security technology here in Egypt," said Blumberg Partners' Chairman and CEO, Philip Blumberg.
Dr. Khaled Hanafy, Minister of Supply and Internal Trade commented, "The Blumberg Grain Command and Control Center is the heart of the Shouna Development Project. Its integrated systems will be able to follow every bag of grain as soon as it enters the distribution network. We have never been able to track food supplies like this before. We are looking forward to continuing our partnership with Blumberg Grain and seeing further revitalization of Shouna grain network in the near future."
Once the Shouna network is fully developed, the Blumberg Grain Command and Control Center will provide access to detailed information, including status maps of all 294 Blumberg Grain Aggregation and Processing Centers; inventory management; trending data; commodity pricing and live video feeds. The center uses satellite feeds and sophisticated sensor technology to monitor grain distribution networks in real time. It also monitors weather patterns-- if it indicates an oncoming sand storm, for example, operators will be able to enact emergency protocols to protect the grain inside the system. All of this is monitored centrally and implemented remotely.
"We are privileged to work alongside the Egyptian Government to deliver this project. This partnership is a recognition of the economic benefits Blumberg Grain's development program offers. Our goal is to reduce post-harvest losses, currently in excess of 40 percent, to under 5 percent and boosting grain output by as much as US$600 million annually," said David Blumberg, CEO of Blumberg Grain, Middle East and Africa.
Through the Shouna Development Project in Egypt, Blumberg Grain is establishing the most comprehensive and technologically advanced system for grain storage in the Middle East. Across 11.4 million square feet of warehousing, the centers will be able to process up to 11.7 million metric tons per year and securely store 2.35 million metric tons at any one time - or 27 kilograms of wheat per Egyptian citizen.
Working in line with the Egyptian Economic Development Strategy Towards 2030, Blumberg Grain, a global leader of innovation in the agriculture industry, seeks to continuously provide state of the art solutions to improve infrastructure and ultimately support President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to further this vision.
"Blumberg Grain's Command and Control Center in Egypt and the full Shouna Development Project will help position Egypt as the agricultural hub of the Middle East and Africa," said Chairman of Blumberg Partners, Philip Blumberg.
He concluded by saying, "If in the near future, we can commence Phase 2 of the Shouna Development Project, we are prepared to announce and begin construction of a major Middle East and North Africa Manufacturing Plant and Export Hub in Egypt. Our Manufacturing Plant investment, would be the beginning of our $250 million investment program in agriculture in Egypt."
Once complete, Blumberg Grain's MENA Manufacturing Plant will be the largest of its type in the world, employing 1000 Egyptians at full production. With an emphasis on local content and sourcing through Egyptian SMEs, the Manufacturing Plant will have a US$ 1 Billion impact on the Egyptian economy in the first year, and US$ 7 Billion over 5 years, according to KPMG.
Producing Egypt-made equipment for grain and cold storage and processing centers, the Manufacturing Plant will make Egypt self-sufficient in food security and the leading provider of food security throughout the region.
