H.J. Baker makes major upgrade to fertilizer plant

Agricultural firm H.J. Baker announced the company is now operating a third specially customized rotoformer production belt at its Atmore, Ala., fertilizer plant. The upgrade will enable the facility to significantly increase production of its Tiger-Sul products and meet customer demand during critical peak seasons. The new rotoformer went through a carefully customized refurbish, incorporating the best of both Sandvik and Berndorf technologies.  Additional features were added to the machine to enable employees to customize its mechanics based on individual customer needs.
 

“This new customized production belt is part of H.J Baker’s ongoing capital improvement plan at our Atmore facility,” said CEO Christopher Smith.  “It is another clear example of H.J. Baker’s continued commitment to innovate using the latest technology and to ensure our facilities meet and exceed today’s market demands,” Smith added.
 

H.J. Baker’s Atmore facility manufactures Tiger-Sul’s sulphur bentonite fertilizer products, including boron, iron, zinc and magnesium. These are specifically formulated for row crops in the Southeast United States, including corn, cotton, soybeans and peanuts.  In addition, this facility also manufactures fertilizer for specialty crops such as citrus, vegetables, sugar cane, blueberries and forage and turf grass. The plant was recently upgraded, adding a 1,500-ton molten sulphur storage tank.
 

Atmore Plant Manager Matt Kimes commented, “The belt will give our facility an overall 50 percent increase in production capacity to better serve our customers during increased seasonal volumes. Our employees can influence and customize the direction of the belt and make changes to meet specific customer requests.”
 

Smith added, “Customer demand for our fertilizer products is growing throughout the country and around the globe. In addition to the Atmore upgrades, we recently purchased a production facility in Irricana, Alberta, which will be operating soon. This will increase manufacturing capacity to address customer needs domestically and internationally and add capabilities, such as sulphur forming, in the future.”