Month: May 2024

SEC education, training and community-building efforts help producers create jobs and expand affordable access to protein, supporting food security, nutrition and economic growth.

With SECs covering the Americas, Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, the centers serve as hubs to share best practices in protein production using soy, with customized areas of focus based on regional needs and priorities. In Asia and Africa, for example, SECs have provided extensive training on industry best practices in aquaculture, helping to support growing regional demand for fish and seafood-based protein. Also in Asia, a separate SEC was established to focus on soy-based protein for food, matching strong regional demand for plant-based options.

The five SECs in place today have served more than 1,300 businesses and more than 2,450 employees in more than 24 countries, since launching in 2019. The SECs are managed by USSEC, with support from USB, American Soybean Association (ASA) and state soy checkoff organizations.

As part of a global initiative to increase access to science and technical education, Chemours’ Washington Works site has awarded scholarships to five local students who will pursue study in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) fields at universities this fall. The scholarships are part of Chemours’ Future of Chemistry Scholarship program—a campaign to deliver scholarships to talented, high-potential young people who live in communities where the company operates and who will study a STEM-related field in college. Chemours Washington Works plans to invest nearly $1.1M in scholarships through 2030. The 2024 Future of Chemistry Scholarship recipients include George Ankrom, David Cobb, Bobbi Murphy, Andrea Mahr, and Ella Mendenhall.

George Ankrom, a Belleville, West Virginia resident, David Cobb, a Parkersburg native, and Bobbi Murphy, a resident of Davisville, have received two-year technical STEM scholarships in partnership with West Virginia University – Parkersburg. The $7,000 per year scholarships will support George, David, and Bobbi as they pursue the Associates in Applied Sciences: Production Technician Program. Andrea Mahr of Newport and Ella Mendenhall of Rutland, Ohio, will attend Ohio University. Andrea plans to study Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, while Ella intends to pursue an Engineering degree. Both have received four-year, renewable scholarships of $10,000 per year for their academic studies.

As a company, Chemours has pledged to invest $50 million by 2030 in safety and sustainability programs in communities near our sites and to broaden access to STEM education as part of its Corporate Responsibility Commitment goals. Washington Works Plant Manager James Hollingsworth was excited to celebrate with the students at a dinner held in their honor at the Blennerhassett Hotel. He shared, “We are happy to have the opportunity to help you pursue your STEM degrees. As the field continues to grow, smart problem-solvers like you are more important than ever. When you complete your programs, please keep Chemours in mind. We are always looking for individuals with the skill set you will develop over the next years.”

Washington Works also promotes STEM education by partnering with area elementary, middle schools, and high schools, as well as Discovery World on Market, a Parkersburg children’s museum. Over the years, the site employees have worked with local schools on science fairs, led “Fun with Science” programs, and participated in job fairs. In addition, the site is working to deepen its relationship with the Wood County Technical Center to improve access to technical degrees to create a more capable, diverse STEM workforce of the future.

Chemours’ Washington Works proudly supports its college engineers with Co-Op opportunities and has partnered with West Virginia University – Parkersburg for a “learn and earn” program that allows students in the STEM field to work a semester and go to college a semester. As a result, many of the participating students have graduated and are now proud Washington Works employees.

Recognized for introducing the Axial-Flow system in Brazil, Case IH, a brand of CNH, launches the new Axial-Flow Series 160 Automation, with 100% Brazilian production.

With an investment of R$ 100 million, the Sorocaba plant, in the interior of São Paulo, received improvements to become the World Production Pole for the smaller line of harvesters, which make up classes 5 to 7.

“The investment made was both in infrastructure, with a large number of technological applications using artificial intelligence, as well as for workforce training. There are more than 1,300 people involved in the project in manufacturing alone and all of them have undergone training,” says Eduardo Domingues, vice president of Manufacturing at CNH for Latin America.

And the technology is not limited to the machine production line. The 160 Series has 60% of its machinery renewed, with emphasis on the Automation System and factory connectivity. Through machine learning and artificial intelligence resources, the entire operation has been reduced to four harvesting modes that provide simplicity and productivity in the operation. This is possible through 12 sensors that collect data from the industrial system and then self-regulate, finding the exact working point for each situation and automatically controlling 90% of the operations. This represents up to 1,800 daily interventions on the machine during the harvesting operation, a number that the operator would not be able to perform alone.

The Automation system was already present in Case IH’s largest line of harvesters, the 250 Series. “Bringing Automation to the 160 Series is essential for our purpose of providing state-of-the-art technology and, consequently, high productivity, for all producers who want to become more professional every day. It is the only one in its category with real automation,” emphasizes Christian Gonzalez, vice president of Case IH for Latin America.

To be available to farmers from all over the world, the project had more than 90 dedicated professionals, mostly Brazilian engineers, but also American and European engineers. In addition to internal tests, the machine was tested by farmers in the United States, some European countries, as well as Brazilian producers in the states of Goiás, Paraná and São Paulo.

With the launch of the new line, Case IH expects to double the current production volume of the Sorocaba plant. “Our expectation is that 50% will be allocated to the United States, as well as countries in Europe, Asia and the Pacific. More than exporting commodities, Brazil will be exporting technology developed here to the whole world,” concludes Gonzalez.

The Axial-Flow 160 Automation Series will be one of the highlights of Case IH at Agrishow, the main agricultural technology fair in Latin America, which will take place from April 29 to May 3, in Ribeirão Preto (SP).