In the early days, farmers dried rice in their home yards or on the roadside, before transporting rice for storage and distribution. Times have changed. Fenggu Company has invested a total of NT$10 million on the purchase of large dryers, wet rice barrels, windmills, sieving machines, cooler barrels, and husk burners for heating purpose.

Fenggu Company’s second-generation owner Mr. Tsung-wen Chen has been seeking to enhance the value of this rice drying business founded by his father. He utilized his professional expertise and work experience in the change of the business model and the purpose of new equipment. Fenggu Company has grown from a few traditional rice dryers to a capacity of 8,000 tons per annum.

Control panel for large dryers at Fenggu Company

Mr. Tsung-wen Chen pours wet rice into a large barrel

It is worth noting that the newly added equipment is not only for Fenggu Company’s profits but also for its corporate social responsibility. For instance, Fenggu Company discarded diesel as the thermal source for rice drying. With its specially designed large husk burners, Fenggu Company can process at least 600 tons of husks from other companies. The ashes are then provided as a material for organic fertilizers. This innovation avoids the air pollutions from diesel burning and transforms husks from a waste into an organic product. It also saves the use of 150,000 to 200,000 liters of diesel, translating into a cost reduction of at least NT$3 million. The use of husks has lowered costs, protected the environment, and boosted profit margins.

With the advancement of technology, rice harvesting speed has increased. This means Fenggu Company needs to process a large quantity of wet rice in a short period of time. To cope with this new challenge, the second-generation owner hopes to further enhance Fenggu Company’s operating efficiency by adding even larger and quicker rice drying equipment. This will help with the handling of growing workloads and the increase of its market share.

Husk burner for heating purpose