Alapala expands African footprint with 250 tpd flour mill in Côte d’Ivoire, unveils Similago III roller mill
The newly completed flour milling project in Côte d’Ivoire reflects Alapala‘s continued commitment to supporting food security and industrial development across West Africa.
CÔTE D’IVOIRE – Alapala has completed a turnkey 250 tons per day (TPD) wheat flour mill facility, a steel production building and six grain storage silos in Côte d’Ivoire, further reinforcing its engineering presence across West Africa.
The newly commissioned processing plant incorporates state-of-the-art cleaning, tempering, milling, and automated packaging equipment designed to maximize yield efficiency and flour quality.
Alapala Group companies delivered the project under a single-source solution. Alapala supplied and commissioned the 250 TPD flour mill with advanced milling technology, while Accon, the steel construction company of Alapala Holding, designed and constructed the complete steel production building and warehouse.
The facility was equipped with six Alapala Accon steel silos, each with a storage capacity of 2500 tonnes, providing a total grain storage capacity of 15,000 tonnes.
By delivering an end-to-end industrial solution, ranging from process design and steel structural engineering to complete automation and operator training, Alapala provides the regional market with a high-capacity milling unit capable of meeting growing domestic demand for high-grade wheat flour.
The investment will strengthen Moulin du Sako’s production capabilities while supporting food security and sustainable industrial development in Côte d’Ivoire.
The completion of the West African project coincides with Alapala’s official launch of its next-generation roller mill, the Similago III, setting a new technical benchmark in intelligent grain milling equipment.
Designed in collaboration with the renowned Italian design firm Italdesign, the Similago III combines industrial ergonomics with advanced digital controls and direct-drive technology.
Unlike conventional roller mills that rely on traditional belts, pulleys, and gearboxes, the Similago III uses an IE5-class permanent magnet synchronous reluctance direct-drive motor system.
This architectural shift eliminates mechanical transmission losses, significantly reduces maintenance overhead, and lowers overall operational vibration.
A central innovation of the Similago III is its intelligent motor-generator operating principle. Depending on real-time load and process conditions, the secondary grinding roll can operate either as a motor or as a generator, harvesting kinetic energy to regulate roll differential speeds.
Combined with independent roll speed controls for tailored grinding across varied grain varieties, the system yields energy savings of up to 20 percent compared to standard roller mill platforms.
To safeguard precision and product consistency, the machine integrates a pneumatic locking system within its fine adjustment mechanism, preventing unintended physical drift during continuous production runs.
Digital security is further enhanced via RFID-based user authorization, ensuring all operational parameter modifications are tracked and timestamped.
According to Alapala Group CEO Görkem Alapala, the equipment reflects the company’s long-term focus on combining digitalization, energy efficiency, and operational reliability for industrial millers globally.
Sign up to HERE receive our email newsletters with the latest news and insights from Africa and around the world, and follow us on our WhatsApp channel for updates.
