Archer Daniels Midland Company announced that it is constructing a new flour mill in Mendota, Illinois. The high-capacity, modern facility will allow the company to continue to meet growing demand for flour throughout the Midwest.

“ADM’s new facility in Mendota will help us provide additional capabilities to meet ongoing demand growth in the Midwest, where we are seeing bakers expand their production capabilities,” said Mark Kolkhorst, president, ADM Milling. “In addition, our new mill will enable us to drive efficiencies, thanks to the use of new technologies and equipment, and the ability to leverage capabilities of ADM’s existing grain facility in Mendota—such as unloading 110-car shuttle trains. We are pleased to expand our presence in Mendota and continue investing in Illinois.”

During the last two years, ADM has announced projects totaling more than $250 million in the state of Illinois, including the Mendota flour mill, new Animal Nutrition production facilities in Effingham and Quincy, and the company’s partnership with DuPont Industrial Biosciences to produce furan dicarboxylic methyl ester (FDME) from fructose.

The new facility will have a daily milling capacity of 30,000 cwts, and the ability to grind soft and hard wheat varieties in order to serve a wide variety of customer needs. It is targeted to begin operations in mid-2019. When it is fully operational, ADM intends to end production at its current wheat mill in Chicago.

“We are continuing to create shareholder value by expanding strategically and driving operational efficiencies,” Kolkhorst continued. “We are excited about this important investment, and committed to meeting our goals to deliver value for customers and shareholders alike.”

ADM Milling is one of the world’s largest flour millers, with multiple wheat flour mills in the U.S. as well as in Canada, the Caribbean, Central America and the United Kingdom.