Strengthening Reliability at ADM’s Des Moines, Iowa, Refinery
At ADM's Des Moines, Iowa, refinery, the work may not always be visible from the outside—but that work plays a vital role in keeping food production and American agriculture moving across the Midwest. The site refines oil from Midwest-grown crops, helping connect regional farmers to end customers who rely on their harvests every day.
To ensure those operations remain strong for years to come, the team is making a strategic infrastructure upgrade. In the facility's deodorizer unit, crews are installing a new high-pressure boiler that will enhance performance and reinforce the refinery's role as a dependable link in the global food and supply chains.
While it operates behind the scenes, the deodorizer unit is essential to producing high-quality oils that serve food, feed and renewable fuel markets. This investment will strengthen safety, improve operational efficiency and help deliver consistent, high-quality products to customers across the ag value chain.
The project also demonstrates strong local collaboration. "We've been able to utilize on-site contractors to perform the work due to the extensive planning and execution time frame," said Charles Arnold, senior utilities engineer at the Des Moines refinery. "That familiarity with the facility helped ensure a seamless process and minimized disruption."
Once online, the new boiler will enhance the site's capacity to meet customer demand with greater consistency and quality assurance.
"The installation of the new boiler will allow ADM Des Moines to better meet customer orders by providing more reliable deodorizer operation," Arnold said. "It is very gratifying to know that the project team's work will have a positive impact on the reliability of the facility and improve our ability to meet customer orders on time with better quality control on the finished product."
Arnold also emphasized the broader value of the investment: "ADM Des Moines continues to invest in our production facility in order to meet end customer product demands, which ensures a sustainable soybean market for farmers — both locally and from anywhere soybeans are harvested and transported to the Des Moines facility for production."
Set to go live in August 2025, the boiler installation is one example of how ADM continues to invest in its infrastructure, its people and the long-term resilience of the U.S. agricultural supply chain. The Des Moines project reflects a shared commitment to safe operations, dependable service and a strong future for agriculture.