Bratney & Omas Double Ag Com’s Flour Milling Capacity

When Ag Com’s flour mill near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, opened in 2019, it was built to grow. Bratney designed the facility with space for a second milling line, and in 2024, about five years ahead of the original plan, that line was installed. Working with Omas, Bratney added the B-Mill inside the existing building, doubling the modern mill’s capacity to 5,000 cwt per day.

Project Background

Ag Com is a sixth-generation, family-owned business whose milling roots on its property date to 1838. The company mills soft red winter wheat into flour, primarily for snack food manufacturers in the Hanover, Pennsylvania, region, and also supplies ingredients for companion animal and aquaculture diets.

In 2019, Bratney and Omas completed Ag Com’s new greenfield flour mill with a 2,500 cwt per day A-Mill. From the start, Ag Com planned for a facility that could eventually produce 5,000 hundredweight (cwt) of flour per day, so Bratney designed the building and process layout with the space and infrastructure for a second line.

Ag Com originally expected to add that capacity within about 10 years. Demand accelerated as its established snack food customers planned additional production facilities, and the company moved ahead with the expansion five years after the original installation.

Because expansion was planned into the original design, the B-Mill was installed within the existing structure, with no new building required. The project also reused selected existing milling equipment, reducing new equipment purchases and helping control cost.

The mill uses Omas Leonardo direct-drive roller mills, which Ag Com selected for their compact configuration, energy efficiency, and flexibility. Direct product pickup from the roller mills helped eliminate the need for an additional building floor, and operators can adjust roll speed and differentials during production without shutting the equipment down.

Bratney managed labor, procurement, fabrication, and construction through startup, and worked with Omas to install and commission the equipment and train Ag Com’s operators. Ag Com reports an estimated 40% reduction in energy use with its Omas equipment compared with its older mill, along with about seven percentage points more flour extraction yield.

“Ag Com started as a customer but quickly became a friend. Everyone I’ve met there has been great to work with: friendly, genuine, dedicated, and hardworking. I’m glad Bratney and Omas are part of their story.”

Dillon Phillips, Milling Project Manager, Bratney

Project Scope

Process Engineering
Facility Design
Project Management
Equipment Selection
Procurement
Fabrication
Construction
Equipment Installation
Commissioning
Operator Training
Facility Startup

Project Details

The original facility was designed and laid out to accommodate future expansion.
The B-Mill was installed in 2024, bringing the mill to 5,000 cwt per day across two lines.
The expansion was completed within the existing building, with no additional building construction.
Selected existing milling equipment was reused to reduce new equipment purchases.
Bratney managed labor, procurement, and construction from design through startup.
Bratney and Omas installed and commissioned the equipment and trained the operators.
Ag Com reports an estimated 40% reduction in energy use and about seven percentage points more extraction yield compared with its older mill.