GEA unites with Dairygold on Phase II of its ambitious Nutritionals Campus Mallow plant
The company has provided a GEA Multi-Stage Dryer (MSD size 1000) evaporator (type 3 MVR), a 12MT/hr x 25kg GEA powder packing LI Line including N2 gas packing, and powder transfer and handling systems.
International expansion
The Nutritionals Campus will have a powder output capacity of 7.5MT/hr of whole milk, skim milk and fat-filled milk powders, and has already undergone an €86m regeneration process as milk production volumes increase post quota.
The Mallow plant now forms a pivotal element of Dairygold's plan to expand its portfolio of products across international markets.
Jim Woulfe, CEO, Dairygold, said the Nutritionals Campus not only caters for its members’ expanding milk production, but includes processing technology to expand its ingredients for the adult and infant nutritionals sector.
“Look at the global population, today its somewhere in the region of 7.3 billion, that will grow to 9.5 billion by 2050. The population growth is occurring in Asia, India and Africa, and they are all dairy deficit regions, so they must be fed,” he said.
“Our ultimate ambition on this site is to move up the value chain and move more into nutrition for that growing world population, the platform has been put in place from a processing point of view that is efficient, modern and meets the expectation of the most discerning customer.
“We are currently working on Phase 2, which will be a very significant investment so that we can realise the ambition in terms of the nutritionals that we inspire to.”
The company also intends to seek planning permission for a number of additional production facilities, storage silos for raw materials, and the upgrading of its existing powder stores with storage, packaging and distribution facilities at the north and east of the West End site.
Cheese systems
Niels Erik Olsen, member of the Executive Board of GEA Group Aktiengesellschaf, said GEA received the order for Dairygold’s milk powder plant in July and it is similar to previous projects with Dairygold.
The company previously supplied and commissioned a milk-powder facility in Mitchelstown, including a 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.
Ireland is an important dairy market for GEA, not only in supplying new and upgraded powder facilities but also in all other areas of dairy processing, e.g. cheese systems, whey processing, membrane technology, etc.
Earlier this year, Dairygold received planning approval from Cork County Council to increase its capacity to produce cheese at its production facility in Mogeely.
The proposed development on behalf of Dairygold’s commercial partners TINE, Norway’s largest farmer-owned dairy co-operative, represents a significant investment and employment commitment for the local area.
The multi-million Euro development will see the site become an international center of excellence for cheese development.
Last year, TINE pledged to construct a Jarlsberg cheese production facility alongside Dairygold’s existing specialty cheese unit in Mogeely.
The East Cork site has been producing Jarlsberg cheese on site since 2013, and this latest development will see Mogeely supply cheese for the European, US and Australian markets.
