FDBusiness.com

In July of this year, GEA received the order for Dairygold’s next milk powder plant in Ireland at Mallow, County Cork. The scope includes one new spray drier (GEA’s Multi-Stage Dryer – MSD® size 1000), one new evaporator to match (type 3 MVR), one new 12MT/hr x 25kg GEA powder packing LI Line (Limited Intervention) including N2 gas packing, as well as the associated powder transfer and handling systems.

This new plant in Dairygold’s Nutritionals Campus Mallow will have a powder output capacity of 7.5MT/hr of whole milk, skim milk and fat-filled milk powders and will be on full production in March of 2020. The plant is similar to the previous projects with Dairygold implemented respectively and commissioned by GEA in 2016 (GEA evaporator, spray drier and powder packing and handling).

In addition to these new projects, GEA has previously supplied and commissioned major projects for Dairygold in their other main milk-powder facility in Mitchelstown, notably a new spray drier, evaporator and various other evaporator projects, as well as another 12MT/hr x 25kg powder packing LI Line and a 10MT/hr x 1,000kg IBC-Filler (Intermediate Bulk Containers) and powder system to suit.

When the previous Mallow facility was officially opened last year, Dairygold Chief Executive Jim Woulfe said: “The Mallow investment delivers on the twin objectives of our Dairy Expansion plan. This world-class Nutritionals Campus not only caters for our members’ expanding milk production, but it also puts in place the processing technology to expand our range of higher-value ingredients for the adult and infant nutritionals sector. This in turn creates more value added for our increasing milk volumes. The Nutritionals Campus will be at the forefront of our Nutritionals growth agenda.”

Dairygold’s previous experience of GEA’s project and technical team’s abilities, knowledge and enthusiasm to solve commissioning issues quickly and efficiently was a big factor in awarding this further contract to GEA, as well as the well-recognised experience GEA has with infant formula production plant design and finished powder requirements.

“We are honoured that Dairygold chose us again as their process technology provider,” said Niels Erik Olsen, member of the Executive Board of GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft. “It is inspiring for us to partner with industry leaders in Ireland such as Dairygold.”

Ireland is an important dairy market for GEA, not only in supplying new and upgraded powder facilities such as this new Dairygold project, but also in all other areas of dairy processing, e.g. cheese systems, whey processing, membrane technology, etc. Headquartered in Naas, with over 130 project and service staff in various locations, servicing all parts of the GEA business portfolio, GEA has a substantial local presence in the dairy business in Ireland and has been providing solutions to the industry there for many years. GEA also backs up its solutions business with an efficient service offering that ensures continued sustainable and optimal plant performance.