Jim Lenz, GEAPS (Host):
Across the grain industry, facilities leaders are navigating a level of uncertainty we haven’t seen in years. Volatile commodity markets, weather extremes, labor shortages, tighter margins, rising expectations around safety, uptime, and quality. In this environment, the question isn’t just how do we operate a fiscal fifth year? It’s how do we build facilities that can withstand the next test. In today’s episode of the Full Grain Podcast, we explore what it really means to operate a modern grain facility where markets, risk management, storage strategy, conditioning, can automate in all intercepts. My guest is Matt Koch, chief marketing officer at Sukup Manufacturing Company. Matt brings in a unique system level perspective. He’s not just looking at equipment, he’s working to producers, commercial elevators, terminal elevators, processers across the globe. Tees here is what keeping operators off at 90 speeds for capital distributors or shifting and fewer states while facilities are evolved from reactive operations into strategic risk-come where systems, from natural market clusters to practical realities inside the fence, from grade conditioning to effort tax values to automation that supports cleaning teams. This conversation is passed with insights leaders can use to think more strategically about their operations. Stay tuned. Today we’re talking about the modern grain facility and how storage, conditioning, automation, and systems thinking are becoming essential tools for managing risk in an unpredictable world. We thank Sukup for being a premier partner of GEAPS in making this episode possible. Strategy to steel. And just like recent episodes, we’ll wrap up with reflecting questions you can use with your team to turn today’s insights into action. All that and more coming up next. But first, a brief from a participant of our tooth partner program. Ensuring the safety, efficiency, and longevity of your grain terminal begins with choosing the right barge positioning equipment. Skip the guess work and trust Patterson Manufacturing, which has been designing and manufacturing equipment for port and land side terminals for over 160 years. Whether you’re building a new facility or upgrading an existing one, Patterston can help you optimize your site with high quality equipment and expert guidance on customizing a wind system to your specific operation. Visit Patterston Manufacturing.com. That’s Patterston MFC.com to equip your terminal for safer, easier, and faster operations. 2Cup works with producers, commercial elevators, terminals and processors across the globe. So Matt has a very, very interesting vantage point on where the industry is headed and how facilities are responding. Matt, welcome to the whole green show. It’s great to have you here. Not for sure, Jim. Now Matt, I I really do mean that. Your perspective is unique. Before though we get into markets and technology, I want to start with you. As CMO at Sukup, you’re not just telling a story. What does your role allow you to see that maybe a single facility or a region doesn’t?
Matt Koch, Sukup:
Yeah, uh we have the, you know, at at Sukup here, uh I have the great benefit of interacting with all markets, not just the ones that most I think of our core listeners here in the in the domestic United States, especially across the breadbasket here, but uh into Canada, into uh Mexico and South America, as well as Europe. And we’ve shipped product to all 50 states and over a hundred unique countries. So lots of lots of different things in lots of different areas of the world between tariffs and supply chain and and everything in between. We see the full gamut of everything. So it’s uh it provides us a much broader macro view of not only the domestic United States, but the the broader world.
Jim Lenz, GEAPS (Host):
Absolutely. That broader world is true. There is so much going on, very dynamic environments. So you’re not just sitting back by any means. All right. Now, just as a follow-up, you’re talking to people who are making capital decisions, maintenance decisions, staffing decisions. What are they most concerned about right now? What are you finding out?
Matt Koch, Sukup:
Well, I mean, no one can no one’s got the crystal ball of of what is tomorrow, but I think that most facilities these days are are saying, okay, we’ve got we’ve got a good thing going here, but what’s the most practical things that need to happen in order for our operation to weather some of those storms and to be able to take advantage of the markets when they do get to be in a better stage and as commodity prices are suppressed, it’s very, very common for the big holders of grain to be investing in infrastructure and grain storage. And uh, we all know that the better we take care of that product for longer periods of time gives us the ability to choose when we want to market that grain as opposed to doing it from necessity.
Jim Lenz, GEAPS (Host):
Let’s zoom off for a moment. When you look at macro markets, commodities, logistics, constraints, weather volatility, global uncertainty, what signals are shaping conversations with commercial operators?
Matt Koch, Sukup:
Well, most of that is going to be kind of where product is coming in from, what what kind of an input supply chain looks like, and then who’s buying. For instance, corn and soybeans, you know, make up the the majority of what we’re discussing here today. Energy independence is a major thing that is driving those macro markets. Uh, many countries are looking to decide is this for us? How do we do this? Who is going to be our partner when that’s the case? This is definitely impacted by, you know, diesel and ethanol production and what that looks like as a not only a national security interest of the United States, but all of the other trading partners that are around as well. And what’s happening with China? Are they going to be buying our soybeans? Are they going to be going, you know, to South America for that kind of thing? Corn markets and ethanol, same, same deal there. It’s not a great crop over in some of the Asian markets. And so they’re looking at import there. So who is their trusted partner there? And you can see a lot of things that are playing out geopolitically right now. A lot of people are very nervous about that. But at the same time, the fundamentals of we have to be able to secure and not waste the domestic crop production that we have. And so making sure that that is not only taken care of, but logistically available for distribution throughout the United States and the rest of the world.
Jim Lenz, GEAPS (Host):
A lot of big decisions. Are you seeing operators shift from how do we optimize this year to how do we protect ourselves for the next 10? What are you seeing?
Matt Koch, Sukup:
I think it’s a longer term. I think it’s a longer term cycle now. I don’t think that most operators and co-ops and general elevators and large holders are looking at what does this year look like? I think that most of everything is being decided in that three to seven year window. When you kind of step back from the main viewpoint there, it tends to get a little bit clearer what we should do. If you’re taking an approach that says, I’m not necessarily looking to maximize quarter three numbers. What I really want is, you know, fiscal year 2027 to be better than than what we’ve expected here in 26 and previous. So I I think that I think that kind of a larger or a broader mindset has been driving some of those decisions, at least the the last five years.
Jim Lenz, GEAPS (Host):
That’s a sentiment I’m hearing too as well. Let’s talk storage because it sits right at the intersection of markets and operations. Storage has always mattered, but it feels like it’s becoming a strategic tool, not just an asset, but from your perspective, how has the role of storage changed from commercial facilities?
Matt Koch, Sukup:
So, you know, it it kind of used to be that we’re gonna go back, you know, call it 40 years here. The majority of the grain that’s being produced, at least within the breadbasket United States, is going to be produced by 100 to 500 acre farmers. And those those folks are taking all of that product directly to elevator and then being able to, you know, move it from now that farm consolidation has happened. We got plenty of on-farm storage that’s happening, which kind of launched our business, at least the bin business in the early 2000s. However, that’s just been a buffer now for all of the gigantic commercial elevators as well as ethanol plants, and then into the broader markets with barge and everything else. Um the opportunities that have been presented for themselves there change mostly because of scale. And so the amount of product that we’re talking about now does not fit in your typical storage that’s that existed in infrastructure, call it 15 years ago. Now we’re having what used to be a commercial elevator show up on the farm. So, what does that mean for you know the commercial carriers? We’re talking, you know, millions of bushels of storage in every one of those and consolidation across the board. And so the more markets that you’re servicing, the more need you’re going to have, not only for infrastructure, but also the monitoring and conditioning of that infrastructure as well.
Jim Lenz, GEAPS (Host):
That’s a really neat perspective. When you talk with elevator managers or terminal operators, what benefits of storage are they most focused on today? Kind of two main things.
Matt Koch, Sukup:
One, they want an easy and turnkey operation to be able to load in and load out. Okay. And so there’s nothing more disruptive to a large facility now than if you can’t get product in and out of it. And so making sure that stuff works is the most important. And of course, that it’s efficient. You don’t have bottlenecks. We got a bunch of folks on our staff that uh that specialize in making sure that that those things are taken care of, as well as working with our partners, our dealer network, especially in those commercial dealerships, to be able to make sure that those projects go the way we expect it to. And, you know, it used to be where you know receiving was going to be a few thousand bushel an hour. Now we’re talking tens of thousands of bushels an hour. I know that we’re talking of receiving upwards of 60,000 bushel an hour. You know, so we’re it’s it’s uh uh the game has changed as far as that scale goes, and we’ve been in a good position to be able to help people with that.
Jim Lenz, GEAPS (Host):
It is amazing. Efficiency, storage capacity, safety, all top of mind. Is it market flexibility, throughput, risk management, quality preservation? If you had to put it simply, what does well design storage allow operators to do that they couldn’t do otherwise?
Matt Koch, Sukup:
Well, when done correctly, it addresses most of those parameters. The large thing to keep in mind is, well, first of all, very few facilities are the same. I think that many commercial elevators have gone back to the drawing board in their latest round of capital expansion to be able to say we would really like congruency and symmetry across our operations. And we benefit from that because we’re saying, hey, you know, I know you’ve got a 60-foot bin here and you’ve got a 90 here, and you just put in a 105 12 years ago, but the next site that we have kind of requires us to have, you know, three 135 30s, something like that. And then sooner or later, that site that started out that kind of built that operation ends up being a site that says we really need we really need to make this look like the rest of them. And that has a lot to do with the if if you’re if you’re a if you’re a commercial elevator and you’ve got you know 50 different locations, say, it’s very difficult to be able to say this is how we should run our operation when 16 of those 58 uh facilities cannot physically do what you’re hoping to be able to have happen. You can’t be everywhere at once. You need to be able to depend on the same thing in in different locations. So that’s that’s definitely been driving some capital decisions there. And also has to do from a risk management standpoint, an inventory standpoint, all of the things that need to happen there rely on procedure, rely on symmetry. And so if you’re telling these two elevators to do the same thing and one of them can’t perform that well, then there’s extra management that goes into figuring out how we’re going to get the throughput that we’re hoping for, even though one facility doesn’t physically have the uh equipment or infrastructure to be able to meet those needs. And so then it’s a pivot and we try to figure that out. And ultimately, it ends up to be one of those things that costs time and money. And sooner or later, you know, folks are pulling the trigger on something to be able to make that a little bit more manageable.
Jim Lenz, GEAPS (Host):
These are big topics for discussion and analysis. I mean, we’ve even talked about grain conditioning, which is critical, right? So once grain is in the bin, the real work begins. Grain conditioning doesn’t always get that spotlight, but it’s where the value can quietly be protected or quietly lost. From what you’re seeing, where do facilities tend to get grain conditioning right? And where do they still struggle?
Matt Koch, Sukup:
Sure. Um, so a lot of a lot of times the first indicator is how much consolidation of product do we have in one unit? What used to be a a large bin, we would call like a 48 diameter 10 ring bin, 12-ring bin, those are going to be around that 50,000, 60,000 bushel per bin type storage capacities. Now we’re talking hundreds of thousands, if not millions of bushels in these bins. Um, the the risk then is really instead of spreading that out over, you know, a lot of different products or a lot of different bins, we’ve got it all in one spot. Okay. And that’s good and bad. Good, the infrastructure cost of that big bin should be less. That that’s the reason that you’re doing that, is is is making that choice to be able to say, we’re gonna put it all in one spot because we feel like uh we don’t want to pay, you know, we don’t want to pay for 10 concrete foundations, we want to pay for one. And so again, there there should be some savings that go along with that. Utilities, the other kind of ancillary trade work that goes into that, again, should be less there. However, that creates a a much more precarious scenario for those facilities to say, with this much grain, especially if we’re talking long-term storage, it’s different for an ethanol plant when they’re burning through that and it’s constantly just emptying and filling the bin. You know, you don’t have as much of a reason for it. But when you’re storing that grain for call it six, twelve, maybe fifteen months, you know, there’s a there’s a fair amount of of uh of risk that you take there, especially if you’re not paying attention to what’s in there. I had a friend one time and colleague of mine kind of say, it’s like putting your money in a non-FDI secured bank, you know, and you have and then you don’t have any access to it at all. You just hope that it’s there when you go back to be able to uh uh to take out a deposit. It’s very similar there, where if you’re not paying attention and you get you know 15 loads in a row where the moisture sensor wasn’t quite working right and receiving, and all of a sudden you’ve got 20, 25% corn dumped in the middle of this bin, it’s it’s it’s just gonna spread. It’s gonna be a a major problem. And so making sure that you’re paying attention to you know rising CO2 levels, paying attention, you know, to the to the temperature and and moisture from the cable readings, and then making sure that you’re doing the right process for fan control, making sure that you’re pushing the front through the grain, whether it’s corn, so we’re typically talking about corn and soybeans here in the United States. But even still, we we have a large market that we didn’t play in probably 15 years ago in the in the nut market out in California. Same type of situations apply there, but we’re also talking in that one fume against and we’re talking about other different risk management profiles there.
Jim Lenz, GEAPS (Host):
Yeah, the larger the facility, as you said, the more precarious the situations. There’s a lot more to consider in terms of grain quality, maintaining that. I’m wondering from your perspective, are conversations changing around aeration, drying, and monitoring, especially as quality expectations tighten and margins matter even more?
Matt Koch, Sukup:
Yeah, uh more and more. The as the bins get bigger, the risks get bigger, and the amount of focus that the operators have on that grain tends to be lower. And that’s the wrong type of of ratio there. It’s one of those situations where it only gets worse, it doesn’t get better. You know, with the uh there’s no such thing as having a situation in the bin and it it stays contained. It will just spread. So every one of those situations needs to be monitored and mitigated when seen for the first time. But what I have seen more than more than I guess I care to share is that many of the aeration packages for these larger bins are typically underdone. They’re trying to come in at a budget number that says, hey, if we can put a tenth on this or a 13th, that’ll be enough to be able to handle it. And what we’re seeing is that that’s only as good as the people that are managing the product going into the bin. If you’re running 50,000 bushel an hour a time, it’s difficult to be able to catch some of those things, especially with different operators at different facilities, different tenure, different experience, all of that goes into what’s sitting in that facility. Technology comes in, which I think is probably the next focus of this conversation.
Jim Lenz, GEAPS (Host):
Yeah, actually it is. I was just gonna ask two, and it sounds like a very hosty type question with not a great response, but if a facility leader wanted to improve just one aspect of their grain conditioning strategy, where would you point them first?
Matt Koch, Sukup:
Well, you are going in general, with uh with grain conditioning and call it grain spoilage monitoring, um, you are going to see uh uh CO2 levels spiking before you are going to see temperatures spiking. And so making sure that you’re paying attention to the head space in that bin, as well as like I’ve seen cameras put into the bins as so they can see kind of what what what they’re physically looking at as far as products goes. And I’ve seen some ugly pictures from from the inside of large grain bins, because of that very reason no one’s really paying attention to it. They kind of think once it’s once it’s gone, when it comes out of the truck and it gets processed through all the receiving equipment, and when it finally makes it to the destination of the bin, then everything’s good. That’s just the first step in making sure that that you’re getting paid for it at the at the long term. If you’ve got if you got a product that you know you’re purchasing at, say, four dollars a bushel and and you’re hoping to be able to have a five dollar bushel that you’re that you’re that you’re selling it at for corn, and you’re like, that’s great, we’re making you know 25% net margins on this, except we lost 20% of that due to loss due to due to uh uh grain mismanagement, and then all your margins are gone.
Jim Lenz, GEAPS (Host):
Yeah, it’s really challenging and complex. But sometimes uh the complexity can be supported in a positive way with uh site automation. So let’s shift to automation a bit, but in a very practical sense. When we say site automation, some people picture let’s say futuristic control rooms. Others just want systems that work, let’s say 2 a.m. when staffing is real thin. From Sukup’s perspective, what does meaningful site automation actually look like for commercial grain facilities today?
Matt Koch, Sukup:
I think that in general, when you go to a very typical commercial grain facility, they’ve got a control panel that that some uh that some local or perhaps national um uh automation company had put together for them, and they’ve got knobs and switches and touch panels and and sensors all throughout the site, and they’ve Set it up specifically for them. And it is a really good turnkey solution for that one customer in that one site. And then when they switch the conveyance in one area, then that same company’s got to come back and they’ve got to make all the changes. And then they send you a bill. And then inevitably you add on to the site, and that same company comes back and they say, We’re more than happy to take your money, and we want to be able to, you know, do everything that you want to be able to do. And and uh and sooner or later, again, you just have this continual money machine of of people coming in and changing your stuff, and it only exists for one, you know, facility. Um it’s it’s it’s very difficult to be able to take what is done at one commercial elevator and then take all the code, all of the uh hardware, and then drop it into your sister plant in another area and expect that to work. It’s going to it’s it likely is not going to uh without major effort. Um what I am saying, it I believe is the future of control systems automation within specifically within grain elevators, ethanol plants, processing facilities, you name it, is a more OEM modular type developed system. I don’t know how much of our audience deals with kind of high-end networking equipment, but this is kind of how that’s gone. If you if you were an IT person back in the 80s, you remember that everything was very manual, put together, very unique, very difficult to be able to deploy and change networks within these facilities. Over time, though, it shifted to more of what is known as a software-defined network, where you’re actually coding the differences instead of physically changing the parts, which makes it a lot easier, makes it a lot more modular, makes it a lot more user-friendly, especially for expansion and changes. And we’re developing that type of technology at Sukup right now in our sync system. And so that’s a that’s a project that we launched a couple of years ago now. It’s actually something that I used to personally work on as an electrical engineer that worked on our products. And we kind of said, how could we meaningfully make these pieces of equipment work together? So I’ll give an example of what I think is gonna hit a lot of commercial grain facilities, at least the operators today. One of the things that you’ll know is that as you’re pulling grain out of these large bins, there is a very, very specific and defined procedure for how we want to empty that bin. We had a couple of folks visit us here to teach um our dealer network about what it means to have a grain bin this big and what is it like. And we showed a picture of a balloon and a tin can and asked everybody to say, hey, what is a grain bin more like? This balloon or this tin can? Most people picked a tin can and they said, well, it’s actually more like a balloon. And it is the bin is designed to be able to hold the grain and it’s designed to move a little bit, but it’s not designed like a like a tin can would be. A tin can would uh at scale, I think they said something like the metal on the outside would be an inch and a half thick. You know, and so clearly we’re not, you know, playing in that type of a of environment. And that would provide for a lot more flexibility within the way you move grain in and out of a site. But with a with a bin like what’s being sold in market today, like our product, and don’t get me wrong, our product is built very well, our product is built heavier than most of the uh most of our competition, and it’s four reasons exactly like what I’m about to say. We say that you have to pull the grain out of the center sump in that bin to be able to core that bin all the way down before you can open up the intermediates. Okay. And the moment you try to open an intermediate sump when uh when it’s not appropriate, the side of the bin is gonna suck in because of the pressure, and then you’re gonna ruin the bin. And if you do it too much, you’re actually going to have a catastrophic failure on that bin. What I’m saying is that a control system done correctly is gonna prevent you from doing that in the first place. It’s gonna be able to say, hey, you are you are doing something you are not supposed to, you’re you’re uh you are not supposed to be doing, and you’re gonna need management approval to be able to do this. As opposed to, you know, you’ve got a you get a 24-year-old kid that’s coming in and and wants to do a good job, wants to get that bin unloaded at three o’clock in the morning, uh, when it uh when it’s when it’s being loaded onto the train and they say they’ve got a problem with the center, so they’re like, how else can we unload it? Hey, we can do this, and then we have a major issue. You know, good technology would prevent something like that, or provide you with another means of of getting what you want.
Jim Lenz, GEAPS (Host):
You mentioned SueCup Sync system, talking to each other, modular. Can you share with our listeners a little bit more about that?
Matt Koch, Sukup:
Yes. So the the sync system is meant to be a modular OEM developed automation solution for farms of any size. And it that this is true from a small farm to a commercial entity wanting to operate at more like an enterprise level. The the beauty of this system is our products will actually talk to each other in real time. So it’s very typical. I’ll give you a farm example. A lot of a lot of wet bins are being loaded by a double run and some receiving equipment, and then they’re being unloaded into the dryer, and the dryer processes that and then sends it to long-term dry storage. We make all of those products. Right now, you’re calling an electrician and they come in and they put a couple of switches in, and you you do this one, and then you turn that one off, and then you do this one. Our systems actually talk to each other in real time just over Ethernet. So it says, hey, what’s in front of this device? You configure the interlock between those two. And then when you hit unload here, it’s going to stage, start, and stop all the appropriate pieces in that what we would refer to as a flow. And so we’re developing this right now. We’ve got it in several pieces of technology, and we’ve started mostly in the in the bin control space. So we’re talking cable, CO2 monitoring, fan control, but so much of it, I mean, that’s that’s a parity product for what’s available in market, but we’re talking about so much more after that. You’re talking about the the feet, you know, going into the bin, coming out of the bin, the monitoring values that go along with each one. It’s the only way you’re ever going to get to an identity preservation model. Um, there’s a lot of things that this thing would allow us to do, as well as to say, hey, is there a fill sensor on your bin so you don’t overload it? Instead of dumping six trucks and finding out that you’re going to plug the bucket elevator or the receiving equipment because the bin can’t take it anymore, those are things that that would stop automatically. So again, just things that are providing more uptime, more uh more monitoring, and ultimately better aesthetic experience of usage.
Jim Lenz, GEAPS (Host):
And just one final thing regarding automation. How are operators using automation to address the labor shortages, safety concerns too, and and just consistency? You touched on that consistency across shifts, but especially on the labor shortages.
Matt Koch, Sukup:
Yeah, no, I mean same thing. You’re you’re seeing uh autonomous grain carts now because you don’t want to have somebody else behind you there. Um sooner or later that will be a very standard thing. I don’t know when, but knowing that the technology exists now, it will be an inevitability that as labor shortages continue to rise. And then, of course, companies, as consolidation happens, you’re you’re looking for ways to be able to say what’s a reasonable thing to do to cut costs here, to be able to reduce the dependency. At the moment you take humans out of the mix, you tend to increase efficiencies, or at least you should, or you’re doing it wrong. And everybody learns in those models, but it’s an important thing to be able to make sure that you have a very tight operation. As it comes to kind of personnel in general, you want the ability for fewer people to need to be trained on something, fewer people to be able to cause problems, fewer people to not have to show up to work. There’s a there’s a lot of things that good automation solves for functional operations.
Jim Lenz, GEAPS (Host):
Great insights. Let’s move over to uh Sucup’s system level approach. Sucup has grown into a company that offers systems, like you said, very broad-based, really serving the green industry globally and in so many means, not just individual pieces of equipment. How do you think about supporting facilities that are very different stages? Some modernizing, others expanding, others just trying to stabilize operations. That seems complex.
Matt Koch, Sukup:
Yeah, it I mean it is and it isn’t. One of the nice things that we are able to do is we’re located in Sheffield, Iowa. We’re we’re the we’re in the breadbasket of the uh of the world here in Iowa. We’re very close to our end customers, whether that’s uh the hundred-acre farmer that we still have here or multi-thousand-acre farmers all the way up through commercial elevators and ethanol plants. We we kind of see we A, we know the operations because we see it all the time. We live it, we do it, we we listen to them. And when they say they’ve got an issue, I sit very close to all of our product directors here, uh in the wing of our office here, and we’re connected in the same building with our engineers, and we meet, you know, once or twice a month to be able to say, how can we solve these problems? And we’re not, you know, we’re not farming that out to to India or or to you know different satellite offices across the world. You know, we’re we’re really involved with that here. We’ve got a really good handle on it. It’s something that that we’ve found that makes us special. And many of our staff, especially on the sales and development side, are 10, 15, 20, 30 year employees. There’s a lot of knowledge that comes in from, hey, I remember at EXA facility that that they did it this way and it provided these benefits. And then we can we can educate customers that said, hey, if you’re looking at these two things, this is what we’ve seen. As opposed to, hey, this is what you ordered, so this is what you get. When you do that with us, we might say, Hey, what’s the application here? I just want to make sure that this is gonna work for you the way you’re hoping it will. That kind of care and those questions on the front end lead to a much better experience on the back end.
Jim Lenz, GEAPS (Host):
That’s awesome. You got a great set of teammates right nearby. You care, you’re listening to customers out there, uh, you’ve got the beat and the pulse of what’s going on right now. That’s fantastic, and your future uh focused as well. If commercial operator or facility manager takes away one idea from this conversation, something they can reflect on or act on, Matt, what do you think that would be?
Matt Koch, Sukup:
I think that in general, when we’re talking about commodities, I think most people are focused on buying low and sell high. I mean, everybody understands that idea. I think that when we talk about that as the first line of of uh this is why I’m in business, I think that’s a stupid way to view it. I I think that everybody says, yes, we have to make money to be able to stay in business. Everybody gets that. I think that the most important thing with all of these facilities is to be able to say, how can I dependably operate with as little loss as possible? Because that’s the thing that will actually make you the most money. And it will it will also make the experience for you and your staff that much better instead of fighting all these things that you know have been problems for years, or that you you know are potentials for issues, uh, that that you address those and uh and at least are willing to identify, you know, what it is that needs to be done and then have a plan for addressing that. Because at the end of the day, you might be you you you might do a really good job on the market speculation side of things, but if you’re also having major operational issues, you’re not going to be doing as well as you could be.
Jim Lenz, GEAPS (Host):
Matt, that’s fantastic. You’re such a great resource. And thank you for being a guest on the whole grain podcast. Jeeves is here to serve the grain industry, and we have such a great network of knowledge that is out there, and you are such a great example of that. If listeners want to know more about your organization, Sucup, what are the best ways to connect?
Matt Koch, Sukup:
Yeah, so we uh uh our website, www.sukup.com, you’ll see all of the information that that we have there, as well as our YouTube channel. We’ve got hundreds of videos, of product videos, and and uh troubleshooting and and a lot of resources there. Uh and then if you want to get a hold of us, you can get a hold of us through social media as well as our info at suicup.com uh web address.
Jim Lenz, GEAPS (Host):
Matt, you’ve been a terrific guest. Thank you for joining us. Appreciate it.
Matt Koch, Sukup:
I appreciate it, Jim. Thank you.
Jim Lenz, GEAPS (Host):
That brings us to the end of today’s episode of the Chief’s whole grain podcast. A sincere thank you to Matt Koch, Chief Marketing Officer at Sukup Manufacturing, for sharing a thoughtful and forward-looking perspective on what it truly takes to operate a modern grain facility. As we’ve heard today’s success in today’s environment, it’s just about adding capacity for upgrading equipment. It’s about designing systems that work together. It’s about using storage strategically, it’s about protecting grain quality through display conditions, and it’s about leveraging automatic weight support safety and workforce. Before we close, here are a few reflective questions you may want to discuss with team. Are we thinking about storage as a strategic lever or simply as space? Where migrant conditioning practices be quietly costing us value? How resilient is our operation to market volatility or labor disruption? What role should automate complain in proving safety and consistency across jets? And are we making capital decisions based on short-term pressure or long-term position? These are the kinds of questions that separate facilities that we ask from those that lead. Remember, JES is here to support you with education and resources designed specifically for trained professionals like you, including more than 25 online and on-demand courses, hands-on training programs, a searchable video library, interactive webinars, local chapter programs, our globally recognized credentialing pathway, the digital teacher class group, next-gen path for early career professionals and interns, and of course, GEAPS Exchange, our industry’s premier annual event. Visit geaps.com to continue learning, growing, and connecting with professionals across the global grain industry. I’m Jim Lenz, Director of Global Education and Training at GEAPS. Thanks for listening, and until next time, keep building facilities that don’t just move grain, but move the industry forward.
