Biyinzika Enterprises Ltd.

Fortified Blended Foods at Biyinzika Enterprises Ltd.

Uganda

The Challenge:

In 2001 Uganda’s Biyinzika Enterprises Ltd. was ready to expand from its original chick and dressed poultry businesses into the production of fortified corn and soybean blend (CSB) for the World Food Program – but Biyinzika needed extruders that could stand up to the expected increase in processing volumes.

Why Insta-Pro:

“Before we were using extruders from South Africa, India, and China, but they would break down,” explains Brenda Mukasa. “One of our competitors had Insta-Pro machines, and they were not getting the breakdowns we had.”

Since one of Biyinzika’s early machines was a copy, the company experimented by replacing key components with Insta-Pro parts.

“We found we were making tons more product using Insta-Pro components, and the constant breakdowns were reversed immediately,” she says. “Instead of replacing our worms five or six times a year, we replaced the Insta-Pro parts only once.

“To withstand the big tonnage, we were looking for something more durable, for extruders that would be long-running and require little maintenance. We found that with Insta- Pro,” Mukasa concludes.

“The Insta-Pro equipment is fast and reliable. Also, Insta-Pro helped instruct us on how to use the equipment and they supplied spare parts.

“If we don’t deliver the product on time, it’s a big penalty to pay. So the fact that it doesn’t break down saves us money.”

Mukasa has advice for other processors looking for equipment: “I would tell them that the Insta-Pro equipment is long-lasting and efficient under differing conditions. Besides that, we are in constant contact with people like Karl Arnold [Vice President of Marketing & Sales] and Jamie Schrum [Export Administrator] when we have questions.  They care about their business and their customers."

The Results:

From its first purchase of four Insta-Pro extruders with an operating capacity of 20 metric tons per day, Biyinzika has steadily increased capacity, and now owns 16 extruders, all from Insta-Pro.

“We have bought more equipment from Insta-Pro and built bigger warehouses to increase our capacity,” says Mukasa, who notes that the company has diversified further to produce edible oil from its soybean extrusion process.

Biyinzika now has 20 branch outlets across Uganda and processes 150 metric tons of CSB per day to support WFP feeding efforts in Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, and Kenya – “anywhere there’s a need for food,” according to Mukasa.