IBM and ACME SAICO support Egypt’s automation efforts

This collaboration aims to create a robust system powered by IBM’s technology in a hybrid cloud environment. The project will allow for efficient management of the country’s wheat supply.

Wael Abdoush, General Manager, IBM Egypt said: "We are proud to be part of this strategic project that supports the country's digital transformation journey. By offering IBM's AI and hybrid cloud approach, we're supporting Egypt to help them achieve its strategy for sustainable development as part of the country's 2030 Vision." 

With the country’s Ministry of Supply and International Trade’s plans looking to digitalise the wheat supply chain and implement governance systems on the country’s strategic stock, IBM’s collaboration with ACME SAICO supports these efforts.

"We are committed to expanding the wheat silos' automation across the country. The automation enables us to instantly monitor the wheat stock through a digital platform, providing the needed visibility to secure the supply chain,” said H.E. Dr. Ali El-Moselhi, Minister of Supply and Internal Trade.

He continued: “The platform, powered by IBM technology, ensures efficiency, stock protection, in addition to addressing logistical redundancies. This project is part of Egypt's digital transformation strategy to upgrade services 'level and performance across all fields." 

AI-powered solutions for food security in Egypt

The Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade is a key ministry focused on achieving food security for Egypt.

To align themselves with the national plan for digital transformation, The Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade, represented by the Egyptian Holding Company for Silos and Storage (EHCSS), selected IBM and ACME SAICO to create a platform powered by IBM's AI-powered automation software in a hybrid cloud environment. 

"After renovating and increasing the number of silos across the nation, our goal was to build a digital platform to connect all silos with the main centre at the EHCSS. Another goal was to automate the documentation processing of the wheat supply chain and monitoring process of the 22 silos and storage points," said Major General Sherif Bassili, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Egyptian Holding Company for Silos & Storage.

By utilising the IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation and the IBM Cloud Pak for Integration, the new solution will allow full automation and governance of all the steps of shipping, transport, storage, and supply of the wheat silos.

Creating a robust and agile system for automation

Through this advanced technology, the automated platform is engineered to collect data from different sensors that are embedded in the silos. 

These sensors embedded in the siloes will send near real-time quantitative analytics of the wheat supply and stock status to the main platform at the Ministry of Supply. 

In doing so, the EHCSS will be able to monitor and store all information related to the incoming shipments, As a result, they will be able to maintain quality standards, report accurate views of the stock in silos, as well as address leakage in wheat silos extensively. 

The system is also designed to help to better manage the communication and coordination between different storage points, and mills.

Dr. Khaled Derbala, CEO of ACME SAICO said: "We are honoured to be part of this national achievement. After months of studying the nature of the food industry, we were able to create a robust and agile system to ensure more governance that doesn't affect the flow of business. The Ministry was able to see the links between implementing their strategic plans and the tailored digital system we created with IBM."

The beginning of Egypt’s digital transformation and automation journey

This announcement comes just months after a pilot model for the first automated wheat silo took place in Banha, Qualyubia Governorate.

Following its success, the Ministry decided to expand automation to 22 silos before the end of this year. 

To ensure its future success, all silos will be monitored from the Ministry headquarters and the General Authority for Supply Commodities through IBM Cognos Analytics with Watson connected to the automation platform in use.

The collaboration between IBM and ACME SAICO is just the first step in automating wheat silos. As part of the sustainable development strategy of Egypt's vision for 2030, the government is planning to automate 400 silos adding them to the wheat supply chain monitoring system.