MURRAY EQUIPMENT INC.

By Murray Equipment|July 12, 2022

CONSERV FS >WATERMAN, IL

WHAT THEY NEEDED

Like many retailers, Conserv FS realized it needed to address its aging facilities to continue to serve its member owners well into the future, starting with its Waterman, IL, location. “Agriculture has changed. Technology has changed. We wanted to prepare the company to serve the next generation of agriculture,” explained Conserv FS GM, Dave Swigart. To achieve this goal, Conserv FS determined they needed to increase the speed, throughput, and storage capacity of their fertilizer and crop protection facilities. Also, with high inventory costs, Conserv FS wanted to be sure they had accurate on-time and on-demand inventory levels. “Looking forward, we wanted to make sure our company was sustainable both financially and environmentally,” shared Adam Day, Conserv FS Agronomy Sales and Marketing Manager. Having done a project with Murray Equipment previously and their familiarity with ICS Controls, the decision was easy for Conserv FS.

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Conserv FS new liquid fertilizer facility can load five times the trucks, five times faster.
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The location features 3 loadout bays, 1.18 million gallons of liquid fertilizer, and 73,200 gallons herbicide.
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The same ICS Control software is being implemented across Conserv FS in both dry and liquid fertilizer production.
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The 3rd unattended bay is accessible 24/7. It is also used by Conserv FS to offload product round the clock, keeping the other 2 available for loadout.
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The intuitive ICS 24-7-8 Controls vertify drivers and equipment. The same ICS Control Pro software that runs the facility is used in the touch screen control panel for seamless operation.
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A conveniently located touch screen panel allows employees to quickly create accurate batches.
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The liquid facility features 2 bottom and top load attended bays to increase throughput.
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All the equipment, plumbing, metering, and controls were engineered by Murray Equipment. The goal was help Conserv FS support the grower of the future.
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The ICS 2873M Autobatch control system can run on a tablet for improved safety, productivity, and customer service.
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The ICS 2873M Autobach control system runs on a tablet, computer, and/or control panel, maximizing uptime through redundancy.
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An automated tote repackaging area means the location can fill small totes in addition to large semi loads.

WHAT WE DESIGNED

Conserv FS purchased 20 acres around their existing facility to build both a new liquid fertilizer/crop protection retail facility and a dry fertilizer blending facility. The 80-foot X 231-foot state-of-the-art liquid facility designed by Murray Equipment features three outbound load bays with both top and bottom load — two attended bays for fertilizer and crop protection and an unattended loadout bay for 24/7 access. The third bay also doubles as an inbound unloading bay. The fully-automated liquid facility also features a mini-bulk filling station, 1 million gallon UAN tank plus 180,000 gallons of liquid fertilizer, and 73,200 gallons of bulk herbicide storage. The dry fertilizer building sports a new autobatch system controlled by MEI’s ICS Controls. In fact, both plants are run with ICS controls. Conserv FS wanted the synergy and accuracy that comes from using the same automation companywide. “One of the reasons we chose Murray Equipment was their ICS Controls. It ties in with our accounting and agronomy software for more accurate billing and invoicing,” Day remarked. “By using the same software across the company we are able to train employees to work across all our locations as well as collaborate together on best practices.”