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Brock Grain Systems

Brock Grain Systems • 866-658-4191http://www.brockgrain.com

A LEADING GLOBAL PROVIDER OF GRAIN STORAGE AND HANDLING SYSTEMS

Reprinted from GRAIN JOURNAL May/June 2012 Issue

Brock Grain Systems was founded 55 years ago in Milford, IN to provide bulk feed and grain storage bins for the agricultural market.

“Howard Brembeck founded Chore-Time in 1952 in Milford to make feeding equipment for chickens,” says Doug Niemeyer, vice president/general manager, Brock Grain Systems. “Then he saw the need for feed bins and grain storage in the marketplace, so in 1957 Brock Grain Systems was founded and eventually was located across the highway from Chore-Time.

“In 1976, CTB, Inc. was formed as a holding company for a family of companies, including Brock and Chore-Time. This allowed for centralization of functions such as finance, IT, and corporate management, while different divisions could focus on their own markets such as poultry, hogs, or grain. It’s been a good arrangement that allows for designing products specifically for these customers.”

In 2002, CTB, Inc., which is headquartered in Milford but has locations around the world, was sold to Berkshire Hathaway Inc. “When CTB was for sale, there were a number of prospective buyers, but ultimately, Berkshire Hathaway purchased it,” says Niemeyer, who joined CTB in 2000 and has served in his current role with Brock since 2005.

“It couldn’t have been better for CTB. Berkshire Hathaway is a long-term owner, and CTB has performed well for it. It’s been a good relationship.”

Acquisitions

In 1997, CTB purchased the grain bin division of Butler Manufacturing, the company that in 1907 pioneered the grain bin business from its Kansas City, MO location.

“With the purchase of the grain bin division of Butler Manufacturing, we were able to form new associations with prior Butler dealers for selling our grain bins, and we gained a second manufacturing plant to make the same grain bin products we were producing in Milford,” says Niemeyer. “These two plants are our main bin manufacturing plants, while Milford also makes our grain handling equipment and fans.”

In 2000, CTB acquired ABC Industries’ handling equipment for the grain industry. “ABC makes one of the best-performing and highest-quality commercial grain bin sweeps in the industry,” says Niemeyer. “Bin sweeps come in all different sizes and are very important in making sure all of the grain is unloaded from storage bins.”

In 2002, CTB added Beard Industries, Inc. of Frankfort, IN, a leading manufacturer of grain dryers that shared many of the same dealers. The dryers sometimes are included as part of Brock’s grain systems when they are sold.

How do the locations in Milford, Kansas City, and Frankfort work together? “We share common management,” says Niemeyer. “We have centralized customer service and sales and marketing, and our manufacturing and shipments are coordinated between sites. We function well together.”

Expansion and Improvements

In 2007, additional space was added at Milford, and improvements were made at all three sites as part of an approximately $10 million project. The project was undertaken to meet the increased demand for grain storage bins and related equipment.

“This expansion project was made possible largely due to the dramatic increase in the amount of corn required by the ethanol industry,” says Niemeyer. “The renewable fuel mandates have been good c for our industry.

“We added 75,000 square feet of production and shipping space at Milford, and at both Milford and Kansas City we added equipment and integrated production lines to increase efficiency and overall capacity. At both the Milford and Kansas City plants, we have spent considerably more on making the manufacutring equipment more productive than we spent on expanding the actual buildings. We added equipment for manufacturing all parts of our grain systems and increased our manufacturing capacity by approximately 25%, which was hugely important for us. We also implemented efficiency improvements in our Frankfort plant.”

Equipment Lines

Brock Grain Systems, a division of CTB, has four lines of grain equipment: grain storage (bins, hopper tanks); conditioning (fans and heaters); dryers; and grain handling (sweeps, conveyors, catwalks, towers). “Grain storage is our largest area, followed by conditioning and drying, and then grain handling,” says Niemeyer.

“In grain storage, we make one of the largest bins on the market, at 156 feet in diameter, with a roof that doesn’t need a center support. These bins are part of our ‘M SERIES™, which could stand for ‘mega’ or ‘monster.’ Our ability to make bins of that size shows our level of engineering and quality of materials used.”

In March 2011, Brock Grain Systems’ M SERIES commercial grain storage bins received a 2011 AE50 Award presented by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. This annual award recognizes the world’s best technological innovations introduced to the industry during the previous year.

“Receiving this honor affirmed that all of the time, work, and dedication we provide to our customers and the agricultural industry are truly valued, as our product innovations continue to move the industry forward,” says Niemeyer. “This award was for the unique design of our roof and walls. Our freestanding roof is a marvel. And our double bin wall construction, which is smooth and flat on the inside and corrugated on the outside, helps grain empty more easily and cleanly, while insulating the grain and keeping it in better condition.”

Brock also manufactures a full range of handling systems and drying systems, as well as accessories like fans and mounting equipment. “We make everything from small farm dryers, such as our low-profile horizontal dryers that are only 12 feet high, up to commercial tower dryers that stand 120 to 130 feet,” says Niemeyer.

“We were the first to offer five-year warranties on our grain bins, which we started in 1993, but other manufacturers followed. It’s a compliment that others have copied some of our products, processes, marketing, and management, but it also keeps us on our toes, as we work hard to stay ahead.”

Quality Employees

“We have long-term, quality employees (with several generations from the same family) who have a strong work ethic and are very knowledgeable,” says Niemeyer. “They are salt-of-the-earth people, and are critical to the success of our business.

“In referring to number of employees, we talk in terms of full time equivalents (FTEs). Depending on the time of year, we have from 500 to 800 FTEs.

“Flexibility is a key attribute of our employees. From March to September, they may be working very long hours seven days a week, while in slower times of the year, they may not even have a full work week. The skill and flexibility of our employees plus their motivation to serve our customers are very valuable to Brock in serving the grain industry.”

Larger, Faster, More Efficient

“That describes what the entire grain industry needs. c Storage systems are getting bigger, grain needs to move faster, and drying needs to be more efficient to keep up with the demands of customers.

“As a designer and manufacturer, we have to grow in our capacity to produce, become more efficient in how we produce, and cut the time it takes to get products to Brock dealers, so that they can be the best at providing efficient products at the best possible value to Brock customers. We are known for our innovative products and our dedication to new product development in anticipating and responding to the industry’s changing needs.

“We are meeting the challenge by following our principles of personal and corporate integrity, responsibility, and fairness. We spend a lot of time on what we make and how we make it, which is always changing, but the most important thing is not what we do, but who we are. That never changes. We work hard to preserve our Brock culture and act according to the high standards that we have set for ourselves as a company.”

Support for Education

Over the years, Brock has provided bins and sometimes grants to help support various universities and educational endeavors. One example is an exhibit on display through January 2013 at the Indiana State Museum in Indianapolis, called Amazing Maize: The Science, History and Culture of Corn.

If you visit the exhibit, which shares the more than 4,200 uses of corn products in our culture and follows the 10,000-year genetic journey of corn, you’ll find a bin carrying the name of one of its sponsors, Brock Grain Systems.


About Brock Grain Systems

Milford, IN
866-658-4191
http://www.brockgrain.com

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