Crown opens new Global Headquarters and Innovation Center

After years of planning and eight months of ground-up construction, Crown Iron Works unveils its new Global Headquarters and Innovation Center in Blaine, Minnesota. The 68,000 square-foot, $12 million facility accommodates increased staff, and fuels technological advancements for the company and its customers through its state-of-the-art Innovation Center—a safety-first environment that supports and optimizes custom process solutions, and extensive customer trainings within its 15,000 square-foot pilot plant.

Crown’s Global Headquarters and Innovation Center serves as a world-class resource to leading global manufacturers within the oilseed and specialty processing industries. Setting a new industry standard, Crown’s flagship Innovation Center includes a fully functional and highly instrumented pilot plant with a computerized control room (PLC controls, with HMI integration) for process monitoring and data collection of all plant areas including preparation, extraction, refining, biodiesel, renewable diesel and oleochemical processing.

“Our pilot plant enables customers to simulate plant operations, trials, toll processing, new technologies and product testing in a confidential and controlled environment that saves them time, money and headaches,” said Bill Antilla, general manager for Crown Global Companies. “Customers can also empower employees with comprehensive training to improve process knowledge, maintenance expertise and plant safety.”

The Innovation Center features multiple training locations including large and small classrooms, a hands-on equipment training area, the pilot plant’s boiler room that offers real-world steam and condensation training, and the motor control center where safety demonstrations and technical training promote safe energy usage and handling.

“Our goal is to be the ‘first-call’ for oilseed industry leaders in need of a technology partner committed to discovering innovative approaches to reducing energy and water usage, improving yields, and reducing capital and operating costs,” said Mike Hoerle, Crown’s vice president of global engineering.

In addition to delivering on customer-specific requests, the Innovation Center also features a Skunk Works R&D Workshop where Crown’s R&D team develops disruptive solutions to drive industry advancements. “Our Global Headquarters and Innovation Center fully leverages Crown’s industry-leading technology and talented global team to further expand Crown’s role as a trusted advisor and problem-solving partner to our customers,” added Antilla.

To schedule a tour of Crown’s Global Headquarters and Innovation Center or to request an overview brochure highlighting the Innovation Center’s functional areas, contact Kris Knudson.

Crown Iron Works, a division of CPM Holdings Inc., is a 140-year-old, Minnesota-based, global company with additional offices in the U.K., Argentina, Brazil, China, Germany, Honduras, Mexico, Russia and Ukraine. Crown currently employs 250 people worldwide.