Kokomo Grain

TELESENSE HELPS KOKOMO GRAIN ELIMINATE THE GUESSWORK INVOLVED IN GRAIN STORAGE MONITORING

OVERVIEW

Brad Ortman is the Vice President of Operations, at Kokomo Grain, a grain company, with 8 locations across Indiana. As the VP of Operations for a state-wide cooperative, Brad has a lot on his plate. He’s always looking for new ways to simplify internal processes and improve operational efficiency.

Kokomo grain has a storage capacity of 55 million bushels, split between bins, ground piles, and flat storage. One of their biggest challenges is monitoring and managing the quality of their stored grain. In the past, they have tried occasional probing for piles and cable monitoring systems for bins and flat storage. Over the years, Brad and his team began to recognize the limitations of these solutions:

Someone needed to visit the storage units to collect grain temp/moisture data. Every check took at least a couple of hours and involved a lot of effort.

Occasional probing and cable systems made it difficult to get an instant view of what was happening in the grain.

Probes and cables monitored the grain in their vicinity and not the entire mass, so it was difficult to understand the source and extent of spoilage issues.

Guesswork involved in key decisions such as: - when to pick up the pile, from what side to begin unloading, and how to minimize spoilage.

TeleSense System for Piles and Flat Storage Monitoring

TeleSense Gateway Spears
Wireless multi-sensor spears placed in a grid pattern across the pile surface. They measure and send temperature and moisture data to the TeleSense App, via an internet-enabled gateway device.

Fan Sensors
Devices that measure the temperature and moisture of the air that blows out of the pile. By comparing airflow readings from fan sensors and spears, we understand what's happening inside the entire grain.

The TeleSense App
A simple way to check on and compare all your storage units. The data from the spears and fan sensors is available on any PC/smartphone/tablet via the TeleSense App. Key features include temp and moisture charts, alerts for high-risk storage conditions, and storage unit 3D view.

When Brad first read about TeleSense in an equipment buyer’s guide, it seemed like a great way to improve the pile and flat storage monitoring process at Kokomo Grain. He decided to try out TeleSense products at three Kokomo locations (Amboy, Winamac, and Emporia). The decision relied on three factors: - manpower savings, spoilage reduction and access to additional insights. After several months of usage, here are some benefits which Brad and his team at Kokomo Grain spoke about:

PEACE OF MIND

Continuous remote monitoring is one of the key benefits of the TeleSense system. It allowed the team at Kokomo to proactively manage their grain quality. Instead of having to manually visit their storage units, they could simply log into the TeleSense App, from anywhere, at any time. As Aaron Maple, the Operation Manager for Kokomo explains, “Our TeleSense system helps me sleep better at night knowing that I will get an earlier notice if something starts happening in my grain “

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION

Reviewing the data from our spears helped Emporia Location Manager Matt Baker identify regions where fans were not operating correctly. Improper aeration can cause spoilage due to excess moisture, so this discovery was highly beneficial.

SMARTER DECISION MAKING

TeleSense App includes 3D visualization of storage units and highlights potential problem areas in the pile. With this feature, Matt was able to identify a region with significant moisture buildup and take quick corrective action, to reduce spoilage.

Looking at the data from our products, also helped Matt decide from which side to begin unloading. Unloading can take several weeks, so, reducing the guesswork associated with this decision proved valuable. Matt would love to continue using TeleSense products. He says, “ I hope Brad's getting it (TeleSense Monitoring system) for my ground piles again this season! “

Brad and his team were satisfied with our products and service. So, our contract was renewed for the upcoming season and TeleSense products were also installed at a fourth Kokomo location, Edinburgh. As per Brad,

“ The service was unbelievable. Very proactive support that went way beyond our expectations. We check the TeleSense App every day.“

Interested in learning more about how TeleSense can help with your grain storage monitoring needs? Reach out to us to speak with a TeleSense Sales Representative.

Telesense USA

San Jose, CA
info@telesense.com
Tel: (833) 472-4600

TeleSense Australia

www.telesense.com.au
marcus@telesense.com
+61 419 221 719