Cargill Animal Nutrition & Health (ANH) has completed a major expansion at its Engerwitzdorf, Austria, facility, increasing production capacity by 50% to meet the growing customer demand for micronutrition solutions. This further demonstrates the company’s commitment to innovation, growth and customer success in the rapidly evolving micronutrition space.
This investment allows Cargill to continue expanding its micronutrition business, which moves beyond traditional feed additives to consider the impact of how each microelement interacts with others in the animal’s microbiome and its effect on animal health and performance. This intimate understanding of each microelement allows for precise, effective nutrition solutions that maximize productivity and promote digestive health.
In 2024, Cargill introduced its Micronutrition and Health Solutions business, which combines capabilities and resources from Diamond V (acquired in 2017), Delacon (acquired in 2022) and Provimi (acquired in 2011) into one science-based portfolio. Holistically, this portfolio has experienced double-digit growth each year for the past three years as more customers adopt science-based nutrition solutions to boost performance, protect animal health and preserve resources.
“Our Micronutrition and Health Solutions business is a culmination of our industry-leading capabilities across phytogenics, postbiotics, anti-mycotoxin agents, enzymes and other performance-enhancing nutrition solutions,” said Gilles Houdart, global head of the Micronutrition and Health Solutions business. “This investment in our facility not only allows us to increase production capacity, but it allows us to work more safely, operate more efficiently and produce more sustainably.”
State-of-the-art operations
The Engerwitzdorf facility has been operating with two large silos for raw materials since it first opened in 2020. By adding six additional silos, the facility is now able to produce up to 30,000 metric tons per year, enough to fortify up to 200 million metric tons of feed. In order to accommodate this increase in production, several additional upgrades have been made throughout the facility to increase worker safety, operational efficiency and environmental responsibility. Additional advancements include:
- Operational efficiency: Ninety percent of the labor across picking, mixing and loading is automated. A container lifting system moves approximately 42,000 meters in altitude per shift every month, the equivalent to five times the height of Mount Everest. An in-house lab performs more than 25,000 analyses every year for quality assurance of raw materials, intermediate and finished products.
- Worker safety: Two fully automated narrow aisle forklifts separate people from mobile-powered equipment, a known safety risk. A built-in compressor unloads products, reducing noise, dust and other environmental hazards for workers.
- Environmental responsibility: This facility is 100% powered by renewable energy, with approximately 70% of daily energy consumption coming from hydropower and the remaining 30% coming from solar panels. A biomass heating system uses 100% wood chips from local farmers.
“This is truly a state-of-the-art facility, with automation transforming how we operate, enhancing worker safety and enabling our teams to deliver more volume with greater precision every day,” said Michael Fischer, manufacturing and supply chain lead for the Micronutrition and Health Solutions business. “It’s a substantial leap forward in how we’re able to test and produce the solutions that support animal health and performance around the world.”
The investment in Engerwitzdorf facility’s expansion reflects Cargill ANH’s commitment to meeting the needs of its customers through continued innovation, sustainable operating processes and science-backed solutions.
