Siemens Automation Technology for North America’s Largest Sugar Refinery

Siemens has been awarded the contract to equip the biggest sugar refinery operating in North America. The Siemens Industry Automation Division will be supplying electrical and control technology to the producing plant, which is currently under construction in Gramercy, Louisiana, USA.

The plant will be owned and operated by Louisiana Sugar Refining (LSR), a joint venture set up with Sugar Growers and Refiners, Cargill and Imperial Sugar Company. The refinery is due to start production in September 2011, producing a million tons of sugar every year.

The Siemens Industry Automation Division will be supplying a wide range of electrical and control system components for the refinery. The contract will include the Simatic PCS 7 distributed control system, valve positioners, switchgear, smart motor control centers, Sinamics centrifugal drives and NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers Association) certified motors. Added to this will be numerous software templates used to optimize the sugar refining process.

Siemens comes with a wealth of experience stretching back over decades in supplying automation equipment to the food industry, having successfully completed numerous large-scale projects. The company’s involvement with the sugar industry goes back as far as the 1960s. Its in-depth knowledge of the industry and the comprehensive portfolio of solutions and components offered by the Industry Automation Division played an instrumental role in clinching the deal.