Each element of this network ensures the most efficient grain delivery from a producer to a recipient of agricultural commodities anywhere in the world. To ensure the well-organized work of the whole mechanism, the branches are united by another equally important network – network of NIBULON’s laboratories.
NIBULON’s employees are very responsible when organizing any stage of work. And if it comes to product quality control, responsibility increases by many times. NIBULON’s General Director, Hero of Ukraine Oleksiy Vadaturskyy says that laboratory is a mirror of the company. Therefore, each our laboratory is an excellent system aimed at exact result.
Twenty-seven modern production and technological laboratories throughout Ukraine ensure grain quality at the elevator complexes and transshipment terminals. Daily monitoring and work analysis are performed by organization and product quality control department.
“All production and technological laboratories are authorized to conduct certain types of measurements, according to the established procedure, but despite the fact that for almost 2 years in Ukraine there is a new law “On metrology and metrological activity”, authorities have not developed and adopted documents providing and regulating the work of such laboratories in accordance with this law”, said Olena Shevchuk, a head of organization and product quality control department.
The measurement of quality begins with sampling, which takes place at the site when entering the territory of the company’s facility. The production and technological laboratory of each enterprise is located in the administrative and laboratory building and is equipped with the most modern equipment, devices and high-precision measuring equipment, such as:
– Rakoraf mechanical samplers; 
– PFEUFFER sample splitters;
– Binder drying cabinets;
– Infratec 1241 grain analyzers;
– Instalab 600 analyzers;
– Perten devices to measure falling number;
– Glutomatyk systems for mechanical washing of gluten;
– analytical, laboratory scales;
– PKH-1 and PKH-2 testers;
– VDK-3M gluten strain gauges;
– DE water stills.
“Each laboratory has separate rooms and workplaces for sampling and preparation of samples for analysis, as well as for technical analyses and sample preservation”, said Olena Shevchuk. “In addition, our laboratories are equipped with tools and a program for electronic processing of documents for product quality. All information is put into the system of quantitative and qualitative grain accounting”.
During the reception of grain specialists of the company conduct an external inspection of grain in a vehicle and check an owner’s documents regarding its quality. As a result of sampling, the grain quality indicators specified by state standards, other regulatory and legislative documents are determined. All data is put into the electronic journals of standard forms for each batch of grain and oilseeds, followed by printing of data on paper.
“We coordinate the quality indicators specified in the certificate and the actual ones obtained in the course of laboratory tests with a grain supplier. If necessary, we organize and conduct a joint quality determination with the participation of a supplier. After solving all the issues, we draw up the necessary documents and send grain to the grain storage facilities in accordance with the plan of placement”, explained Olena Shevchuk.
By the way, a supplier can find out prices for agricultural products on our official website at any convenient time. NIBULON professes an open and transparent policy of doing business. That is why every visitor of the corporate site has the opportunity to familiarize himself with current prices for agricultural products for each company´s elevator complex. Such honesty and willingness to cooperate makes NIBULON attractive for many Ukrainian farmers who choose cooperation with the company.
The whole process of receiving grain at the enterprise lasts no more than 40-50 minutes. The batches of grain and oilseeds we receive with mixtures above the baseline are sent for purification, analyses of the quantity and nature of grain impurity (heavily separated impurity, seeds of cultivated plants and other plants, damaged grains of the main crop). Monitoring of the efficiency of grain cleaning on technological equipment is carried out by control sampling and determination of grain quality indicators before and after separator. All cleaning control data is recorded in a journal of the standard form.
“During each shift average samples are formed, according to which the quality indicators of a cleaned batch of grain and waste are determined. The results of the determination are recorded in a laboratory journal on the basis of which the grain analysis and waste analysis cards are composed for drawing up an act for cleaning”, said Olena Shevchuk.
At the terminals, grain undergoes drying, active ventilation and cooling. Upon completion of these technological operations, when storing grain, a full technical analysis is carried out before shipping; the results are also recorded in journals of laboratory analyses for each batch of each warehouse. In the process of storage, laboratory specialists monitor the condition and quality of grain and oilseeds stored at certain period of time for the temperature of the grain mass, contamination by pests, smell, colour, moisture of grain and other quality indicators that are standardized by state standards. In particular, grain temperature measurement in warehouses is carried out by electrothermometric means of remote temperature control.
“The grain path at our terminals is completed by its shipment to the transshipment terminal in Mykolaiv or to outer roads, where it will be shipped for export”, continued Olena Shevchuk. “The workers of production and technological laboratories check the sanitary condition (cleanliness, presence of extraneous smells, contamination of grain by pests, etc.) of trucks, wagons and vessels submitted for loading. According to the current regulatory documentation, the sampling process for determining quality continues in the process of loading the vehicle with grain”.
The company has created all the necessary conditions for obtaining quick and accurate results in determining the products quality; the company’s compliance with high standards of agricultural products quality is one of the important conditions through which NIBULON enjoys confidence both at the domestic and international levels.
“All is absolutely just perfect. Such state-of-the-art terminal could be in Germany, or in France, or in Switzerland. Everything is very beautiful here – from architecture to the laboratory. It is very clean here – from the entrance to the loading station “, said Ambassador of Switzerland to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova Guillaume Scheurer during his visit to “Holoprystans’ka” branch in Kherson region.
According to the estimates of international companies, equipment of the production and technological laboratory of the transshipment terminal, the chemical-technological laboratory and the production and technological laboratories of NIBULON´s branches is of high level. Indeed, being in one of our laboratories in any corner of Ukraine you feel the high level the company is adhered to.
Being a partner of NIBULON is profitable and convenient!