OVERLAND PARK, KAS. — ADM Milling Co. will expand capacity at its flour mill in Beech Grove, Ind. When the project is completed, the mill will be the largest among the 23 operated by ADM in the United States.

The expansion, which will bring daily capacity to 27,800 cwts, an increase of 8,400 cwts, has received corporate approval and will begin in November, pending civil and regulatory approvals.

“As customers look to ADM Milling for a larger quantity and variety of products, it’s our job to help them grow,” said Mark Kolkhorst, president of ADM Milling. “This new capacity will allow us to provide a greater level of service to customers in the Beech Grove area.”

The Beech Grove mill was built in the late 1980s but has roots dating back nearly 200 years, or when a grist mill was built on Washington Street in Indianapolis in 1821. While rebuilt, renamed and sold multiple times, the business remained on Washington Street until the property was bought by the city in 1988. That same year, the mill was acquired by ADM Milling and construction began on a new mill in Beech Grove, an Indianapolis suburb.

Originally built with daily capacity of 15,000 cwts, small projects over the years raised Beech Grove capacity to its current 19,400 cwts. The new project is the first significant expansion since the mill was built.

ADM said the expansion will feature the latest technology for automation and process controls.

“The expansion will allow the Beech Grove facility to produce multiple products, ranging from spring and winter to hard and soft wheat blends, providing a range of options for customers,” ADM said.

The mill already stood out for the breadth of flour grades it produces. According to a 2004 feature article about the mill published in Milling & Baking News, multiple milling units and unusually large bulk flour storage and grain storage capacity are keys to this flexibility.

ADM has expanded other U.S. flour mills in recent years, adding a combined 7,500 cwts of daily milling capacity to facilities in Minneapolis, Los Angeles and Spokane, Wash., in 2009. More recently, the company closed its 20,000 cwt flour mill in North Kansas City, Mo.