A dairy in the desert
million-pound project to expand existing dairy facilities in the
United Arab Emirates. The UK-based company, which is a major
supplier of process equipment, engineering and automation control
to the food processing industry, will carry out the project in the
baking Al Khawaneej oasis for the Al Rawabi dairy company.
The manufacturer is one of the largest producers of fresh milk products in the United Arab Emirates. Al Rawabi claims that during the last decade, it has achieved a 30 per cent market share through the introduction of modern production technology, stringent product quality control and a commitment to continuous improvement.
When Al Rawabi wanted to expand its existing facility, it began to look for a supplier capable of combining latest technology process systems with cutting edge automation control. The company also wanted to ensure that the new plant would comply with the latest industry safety and hygiene regulations.
The new plant expansion will consist of two main areas, the first of which will be dedicated to the production of juices. This area will have a total capacity of 30,000 litres per hour and be equipped with the latest in-line blending technology, which provides consistently high quality products and enables just-in-time production. The other area will produce fresh milk, cream and various types of fermented products and will have a total capacity of 20,000 litres per hour. Both areas will have separate cleaning facilities (CIP) in order to avoid any cross contamination between the milk and the juice production.
All the process equipment, such as pumps and valves, has been selected from APV's range of products. APV says that all its products are designed for easy cleaning and maintenance. The APV product portfolio includes a wide range of pumps, valves, heat exchangers and homogenisers designed for use in today's food and dairy industries.
The entire plant will consist of more than 900 plant components and will be fully automated, with process control from a single PC and visualisation by Wonderware InTouch software. Production data will automatically be collected into an InSQL database (high-speed SQL database for industrial applications) to give total transparency of the production process. This will be accessed by APV's unique WEB reporting tool via a standard Microsoft explorer browser.
Invensys Production Management, a division of the Invensys group, aims to remove cost and cash from the supply chain. The division includes APV, Avantis, Eurotherm, Foxboro, IMServ, SimSci-Esscor, Triconex and Wonderware. These businesses address process and batch industries including food and beverage. Invensys operates in more than 60 countries.
