Despite hard times in European dairy industry on the domestic markets and within export, some companies are still investing. GEA Process Engineering is getting its share and has been awarded with contracts from leading dairies in Germany and Ireland.

One of the new projects is for Lakeland Dairies and the new project located in Bailieboro, Ireland, will be designed and provided by a consortium of eight specialised companies within GEA Process Engineering. GEA Process Technology Ireland Ltd. will coordinate the execution of the order at a value of approx. EUR 11 million. The new facilities will manufacture various dairy-based powders such as whole milk powder, skim milk powder and buttermilk powder.

Despite present poor returns on the international marketplace for most dairy products, Mary Coughlan T.D, the Minister for Agriculture and Food, expects that the Irish dairy industry will show some growth over the coming years as a consequence of the gradual relaxation of EU’s production quota system and the need to increase the output per farm to maintain farm incomes (source: Irishfarmin.ie)

The evaporator (GEA PE France), the dryer (GEA Niro), the powder conveying equipment (GEA Colby) and powder packing line (GEA Avapac) will be constructed next to the existing factory and will utilise common services from the existing but upgraded centralised utilities centre. The powder manufactured in the dryer will be transported gently (to avoid breakdown of the sensitive powder particles) to new powder silos and from there to the new bagging lines, 25 kg sacks, the FIBC (Flexible Intermediate Bulk Containers) system and bulk filling system.

Biggest capacity plants in Ireland
The processing output from the new dryer will be one of the biggest capacity plants in Ireland (at 7MT/Hr WMP) with the corresponding evaporator capacity to feed the dryer and the dense-phase powder handling capacity to remove the finished powder from the dryer. The 25 kg bagging line (including a pre-gassing system) is rated at 12 mt/hr powder packed, will operate at this guaranteed rate and is the first "go-ahead" received by GEA Avapac in Europe for their highly successful “Low Intervention Packing Line” (RBF 1200LI).

“We are extremely proud to be awarded this significant contract and responsibility by Lakeland Dairies. As the sole process equipment supplier on this project, GEA Process Engineering will be responsible for the supply, installation supervision and commissioning of all the processing equipment - and we see this award as a recognition of our company as a competent and experienced provider of this world class solution. In addition, we see this contract as a major breakthrough for our future involvement as partner for further developing the Irish dairy industry”, says Mr. Paddy Kenna on behalf of GEA Process Engineering.

He is Managing Director of GEA Process Technology Ireland Ltd. It is the Irish GEA company that has accepted the contract on behalf of GEA Process Engineering and will be responsible for the local (Irish) project coordination. Furthermore, GEA PT Ireland will help the other relevant GEA companies in their planning and implementation phases of the project. GEA Process Engineering is providing final product quality guarantees - as well as other guarantees relating to the plant, its installation and commissioning and the product produced by it.

Site construction is expected to start in July 2009. Commercial production is scheduled for the end of the first quarter of 2010.

Complete cheese plant project
The other project is a complete cheese plant project that the German company Naabtaler Dairy has decided to award to GEA TDS.

GEA TDS will develop and deliver the following equipment and services:

• Milk treatment - from raw milk storage via a new pasteurisation line for 50,000 l/h, equipped with separators from GEA Westfalia Separator for cleaning and sterilisation of milk including fat content standardisation and a cheese milk tank farm
• Four cheese manufacturing lines - including equipment for filling, whey distraction, washing water, emptying etc.
• Extension of the existing whey treatment facility from the buffering to the separation from GEA Westfalia Separator - as well as a new, efficient heat return
• Ultra filtration unit from GEA Liquid Processing for extraction of whey protein concentrates with an intake volume of 55,000 l/h
• Production of process water from the incoming whey with reverse osmosis and reverse osmosis polisher equipment from GEA Liquid Processing
• CIP unit for the complete plant.

In addition, GEA TDS will deliver a recipe automation programmed enabling a complete, overall data acquisition and control of the complete process - from the intake of raw milk to the ready cheese. The complete plant for Naabtaler Dairy is planned ready for full production by February 2010.