Green Plains Grain Obion County Ethanol Plant

Green Plains Grain, a Manufacturer and builder of Ethanol Plants out of Omaha, Nebraska, decided to build a New Ethanol plant in Obion County, Reeves, Tenn. This facility holds 5 million bushels of corn, which equals 280 million pound of corn. The decision to hot dip galvanize the large canvas like covered facility was based on past experience with galvanized material and their commitment to the area to use the most Sustainable products available.

Martin J. Wiedeman, Performance Engineering, was responsible for the decision to Hot-Dip Galvanize the over 150 tons of roof joist and structural steel. The Challenge was working with a fabricator, Fab South of Troy, Tenn. who had little experience galvanizing a project of this size. Design issues had to be laid out as to not cause damage to the canvas material, or create areas where there would be pockets for un-galvanized coatings. Because of the Sustainability of the project and the Agriculture nature, no repair of touch up paint would be allowed. The New Galvanizing facility did a fine job, delivering on time, and becoming a preferred vendor for this Manufacturer.