Arla achieves cheese processing efficiency
group, has installed an 18,000-litre enclosed cottage cheese vat
(ECCV) at Arla Foods' production facility in Skovde, Sweden.
Skovde is the only dairy within Arla in Europe that produces cottage cheese, and the division claims that the new vat was required to meet increased demand for its products.
"Due to detailed advance planning the installation and commissioning ran very smoothly at Skovde and the vat was quickly up and running with the minimum of down time and no loss of product," said Damrow commissioning engineer Kenneth Mikkelsen.
"Also, all product produced during testing was of first class quality and went to market."
Damrow claims that the new vat is capable of highly efficient and exact cutting of the coagulum, along with accurate and reliable control of the heating profile. The Damrow ECCV also comes with a fully programmable control panel, which enables the operator to meet different production needs.
The ECCV arrived in Skovde and was placed, levelled and fixed in the factory by the end of the day. After installing the heating system and connecting local process piping, and mechanical and electrical services, testing commenced.
Extensive testing was undertaken before the ECCV became fully operational in the production line. This included water trials and ensuring that cleaning-in-place was functioning satisfactorily along with recipe adjustments to ensure that the cottage cheese was produced in accordance with Arla Foods product requirements.
Damrow claims that the new ECCV is more efficient than previous vats, resulting in a greater yield of 5 per cent more cheese per batch.
"The cheese grains are of an excellent quality, the right size and no fines," said Tyggve Ekstroem, Arla Foods project manager.
Damrow is a specialist in the art of making cottage cheese, and this latest installation follows the recent completion of a cottage cheese production line for a large dairy in Minsk, Belarus.
Carlisle Process Systems says that due to consolidation of sales activities within the CPS group, Damrow equipment is available worldwide.
Carlisle Process Systems, a division of US trading giant Carlisle Companies, is a global provider of hygienic liquid process systems with three internal operations - the cheese group, the dairy, food & beverage group and the manufacturing group.
