“The North Dakota Mill and Elevator Association has a rich and colourful history. Over the past 100 years, many changes have occurred to mill facilities, personnel and management. The one consistent factor has been the passion and support of the North Dakota Industrial Commission, North Dakota Legislators, mill employees, and producers across the state, all striving to make the State Mill the best it can be.”

These are the words of Vance Taylor, president and CEO of North Dakota Mill, written for his introductory letter to the book dedicated to the company’s hundredth anniversary. Words that tell of a reality that has evolved and distinguished itself over all these years, thanks to the skills of so many people who have held and still hold various roles, from employees to administrators and state legislators. And thanks to the confidence of customers and suppliers who have ensured that North Dakota Mill has been able to expand and become a world-class milling company.

On 20 October, Fabrizio Baccinelli, Marco Bellini, Marco Galli, and Giuseppe Pignacca (Ocrim sales manager, area manager, technology department manager and head-miller, respectively) travelled to Grand Forks – North Dakota – for the anniversary ceremony. They reached their American friends to celebrate this important milestone together. Celebrating a globally successful enterprise together with 400 other guests.

“North Dakota Mill and Ocrim are united by forty years of professional understanding and deep friendship. Indeed, our friends from Cremona have contributed to making our company the great reality it is today, and we will never stop believing in this fruitful collaboration. Ocrim has always been a key partner for us, and so has been for the investment milestones of the last few years. We chose Ocrim again for the construction of the two new milling plants and the refurbishment of an existing plant. An installation we will have the pleasure and satisfaction of showing today to those who have come here for our hundredth anniversary. Together with our team, Ocrim worked hard to deliver the three plants to us, with a high technological profile and a very short delivery time in a still critical and severe period due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We have, therefore, presented a real challenge. And Ocrim, as always, bested it”. In this way and with these words, Vance Taylor talks about the collaboration between two companies that share the same values and goals. And he does so shortly before starting the visits to the three milling plants - H, I and D - designed and built by Ocrim (refer to the OcrimNews published in April 2021: OcrimNews_Aprile 2021 ).

Alberto Antolini commented on the centenary ceremony at North Dakota Mill with the following words: “A Ferrari without an engine goes nowhere. It remains a beautiful but useless shell of a car. I tell you this because, during the Ocrim "Wheat, flour and..." event in September, my brother Sergio emphasised the workforce's importance for the growth and necessary stability of a company. Employees, in fact, are to be considered the main engine for any successful enterprise. Ocrim and North Dakota Mill mainly share this belief, which is our philosophy of industrial life. That is not only testified by the achieved business success and earnings but also by the endorsements from people who work or have worked for our companies for a lifetime. The strong presence of our employees – even those already retired – at our most important events is proof of a healthy and constructive relationship between the company and Human Capital. The most important and rewarding test one can pass”.

The entire Ocrim team wishes North Dakota Mill a long and wonderful life.