Achieving net zero with GEA's holistic engineering solutions

Security of outcome with a proven solution

With our extensive experience across many industries and our strong internal focus on combining competencies across GEA divisions, we have developed market-leading, holistic engineering solutions for companies worldwide. These solutions optimize energy use, reduce CO2 emissions and lower operating costs – all without compromising the quality of customers’ products.

GEA Add Better Consulting and GEA NEXUS: two small steps, one giant leap

Over the years, we have helped both green- and brownfield food and beverage producers achieve amazing goals. Goals that are only achievable through an integrated process and heating and cooling approach.

While some improvement in efficiency, maybe 2 to 4 percent, can be achieved in small, incremental steps – such as looking at a specific piece of equipment or a step in the process – the largest gains come from examining plants holistically, across the entire process chain. 

GEA has developed a structured, and TÜV Rheinland validated, approach that consists of two steps. In an assessment phase we call Add Better Consulting, we, together with the customer, analyze the current state of the production process. GEA’s heating and cooling process experts use that data, together with the precise energy requirements, to calculate and design improvements that fully use every single optimizable process, machinery upgrade or greener substitution. If required, we can even start from scratch and develop together with the customer a decarbonization strategy and roadmap for an entire company.

Next up is the next-generation upgrade with GEA NEXUS. In this implementation phase, optimization happens in desired or required steps – the first of which could include connecting heat pump technology to manufacturing processes to ensure energy is moving circularly, rather than being wasted. Our GEA NEXUS team will transform design into reality and build or upgrade plants for customers with reduced energy consumption, CO2 footprint and operating costs.

We meet and exceed your KPIs with combined in-house competences

Each GEA Add Better Consulting and GEA NEXUS project include a single point of contact for customers, backed by a cross-functional engineering team with experts from dairy, food or beverage processing, as required, as well as team members with refrigeration (heating & cooling) expertise in the respective processing industries. Supported by GEA sales and service experts, GEA NEXUS customers receive a holistic process analysis and proposal for a more sustainable and integrated process solution leveraging GEA and GEA partner products. 

Green or brownfield site? GEA NEXUS is the answer to both

Our GEA NEXUS teams can accommodate solution designs as well as system enhancements, depending on whether the situation involves a green- or brownfield site. In both cases, we provide a mapped overview of all process streams, a calculated ROI, total life cycle benefits, the effect on TCO, and the reduction of CO2 emissions. Additionally, we offer a thorough description of the required cooling and heating, and, of course, the heat pump solution that is the best fit. All of this, together with a customized implementation plan and GEA as your single point of contact, will transform goals into results.

Where there is heat – there is energy

Cooling and heating traditionally account for anywhere between 50 and 90 percent of a plant’s total energy consumption. This typically includes both waste heat flows and heat consumers. As a result, nearly every food, beverage or dairy processing plant can benefit from integrating a GEA heat pump, because of its ability to take waste heat and boost (or cool) it for reuse in other production processes. In fact, GEA heat pump technology can achieve temperatures of up to 95 degrees Celsius or even higher, utilizing waste heat that would otherwise disappear into thin air.

The food, dairy and beverage industries are the main drivers for heat pump development, as they require higher temperatures for their processes. In nearly all cases, customers who install a GEA heat pump can eliminate some, if not all, of their gas-fired boilers, typically used for heating water. This automatically boosts energy-savings and lowers CO2 emissions significantly, even more so if green energy sources are applied. And because the operating costs are so greatly reduced, the investment has a short payback time.

Decades of experience in one GEA NEXUS team

GEA’s unique Add Better Consulting and GEA NEXUS solutions are a culmination of our broad portfolio and industry know-how, combined with our refrigeration expertise. GEA has decades of experience helping customers improve the efficiency of their plants, and we’ve made it even easier for customers by providing an integrated offering via one dedicated NEXUS team. Several examples of their hard work are already paying off.

Carbon neutral juice production for innocent

GEA’s experts are backing innocent’s big dreams all the way. This is the story of the “Earth’s favorite little healthy drinks factory” and how only solutions that reduce CO2 emissions and water consumption and treat waste as a resource made the cut.

45% decrease in gas use for Heineken 

For HEINEKEN UK, the decarbonization journey starts with the installation of heat pumps and a heat pump network capturing and reusing heat to brew and package beer. With the new system, HEINEKEN UK will use a low temperature (90° C) hot water network – driven by GEA heat pumps - thus replacing the steam boilers with environmentally friendly heat pumps powered by electricity.

75% energy consumption reduction for Nestlé 

At Nestlé’s plant, GEA will equip a milk powder line for hypoallergenic infant formula with the latest process and heat pump technology. According to Nestlé, thanks to an innovative heat recovery from the spray dryer and further processes, the plant will use 75 percent less energy for steam and massively reduce carbon emissions. In this way, GEA is supporting Nestlé on its path to net zero by making the energy supply to Nestlé production facilities emission-free  by 2050.

The sooner you ask, the better the help

No matter where you are on your decarbonization journey, what goals you have in terms of optimization or your upcoming initiatives to increase efficiency, you simply need to reach out today. The sooner we get in and become familiar with your exact process line, requirements, targets and challenges, the better we can help – not only with reaching goals but also with prioritizing the steps and every cent spent.