Tetra Pak says customisation is key in downturn
Tetra Pak says that following the launch of its Tetra Lactenso Aseptic range of products last year, it hopes to continue to develop tailor-made dairy production lines in a bid to offset its customers’ environment and cost fears.
“In the economic downturn, customer requirements on lower energy costs and lower operational costs are even more important; these are requirements to which Tetra Lactenso Aseptic is well suited,” claimed a company spokesperson.
A growing number of equipment suppliers are looking to offer customised equipment, with the dairy industry being offered various solutions like spray dryers and Ultra High Temperature (UHT) treatment devices.
Taking UHT treatment as an example, in devising its Lactenso Aseptic range, the group claims that it has been able to boost running times for indirect heating of milk by an additional 16 to 28 hours of operating time compared to industry norms.
It is advances like these that Tetra Pak believes will increasingly lead dairy producers to turn to custom-made systems in the current climate.
Downturn demand
A spokesperson for the group told DairyReporter.com that, with milk serving as a basic necessity in many global markets, it was not concerned over any severe drops in consumer demand for dairy aseptic processing. However, with many manufacturers beginning to feel the burden of ongoing financial uncertainty on their operations, systems such as its own custom-built equipment would be particularly important to the dairy and wider food industry.
Since 2000, the manufacturer says it has been working with customers to examine the critical factors affecting individual production methods in a bid to better define and tackle demand for more efficient production, stricter hygiene controls and sustainability.
“Major research breakthroughs [have] included improved run times of up to 40 hours on an indirect [UHT] system, and improving the company’s knowledge of pre-sterilisation, which in turn maximises uptime and improves production safety,” stated the spokesperson.
Aside from longer-term cost efficiency, Tetra Pak claims that the Tetra Lactenso Aseptic range can also reduce both the environmental impacts of processing and ensure improved product quality.
“Reduction in product losses, less waste water, reduction in detergent use are also among features in the Tetra Lactenso Aseptic solutions,” the spokesperson claimed. “[This] makes them more cost efficient and sustainable while maintaining the highest level of food safety.”
