Richardson Int’l Invests $120M in Crushing Capacity Upgrade

Richardson International Ltd announced plans Wednesday to invest $120 million in its canola processing plant in Lethbridge, AB that will raise its crushing capacity from 450,000 metric tonnes per year to over 700,000 metric tonnes annually.

With the upgrade of its Lethbridge facility and the existing output of its Yorkton, SK plant, Richardson will be able to process about 1.7 million tonnes of canola per year, the company said in a press release.

“We are continuing ongoing capital upgrades in Lethbridge in increase crush capacity and realize greater efficiencies,” said Darwin Sobkow, executive vice president of Richardson’s agribusiness and processing operations unit in a statement. “This will allow us to better serve our customers and create a state-of-the-art facility that is very efficient for its size, positioning us to compete with the most modern canola crushing facilities in North America.”

New processing equipment was installed last year at the Lethbridge location. Now the company is constructing a high-throughput seed receiving facility there, capable of receiving 800 metric tonnes of canola per hour, to increase turnaround for farmers and truckers delivering seed. Richardson expects the new receiving addition to be completed by the fall of 2017.

“Increasing the speed of the receiving plant is a top priority for us to better serve our customers, providing them with the ability to deliver their seed quickly and efficiently,” Sobkow said. “We are committed to making a significant investment in our Lethbridge plant for long-term operations to continue to grow our business.”