GEA TDS GmbH, a member of the GEA Group, has secured the order for the development of a complete cheese plant for the German Naabtaler Milchwerke Dairy despite hard times in the European diary industry.
The project requires GEA TDS to deliver a complete cheese processing plant including pasteurisation, cheese manufacture, whey treatment including the extraction of whey proteins, process water production and full cleaning in place.
GEA TDS will use the expertise within the GEA Group to provide the necessary technology.
There will be a milk treatment process including raw milk storage via a new pasteurisation line with a capacity of 50,000 l/h that will be equipped with separators from GEA Westfalia Separator for the cleaning and sterilisation of milk and for the standardisation of fat content.
The four cheese manufacturing lines will have equipment for filling, whey distraction, washing water, emptying, etc. GEA Liquid Processing will provide an ultra filtration unit with an intake volume of 55,000 l/h for extraction of whey protein concentrates.
The system will also produce process water from the incoming whey using reverse osmosis equipment also from GEA Liquid Processing. Clean in Place equipment will be incorporated throughout the plant.
In addition, GEA TDS will provide a recipe automation programme enabling the 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 to be ready for full production by February 2010.