Milk & cream: processing milk products

GEA has worked in all areas of milk processing for the dairy industry since 1893, and today we can offer tailored state-of-the-art components, equipment, and process lines for all types of fresh, extended shelf-life (ESL), UHT milk and cream products. We continuously innovate to develop new solutions that could help you save energy, recycle waste heat and water, and improve your environmental footprint. However complex your batch or continuous process, and whatever your production scale, our equipment is designed to help you precisely control and optimize just about every stage, from milk and ingredients reception, milk separation, treatment and standardization, through to aseptic storage, filling and packaging.

As a single-source supplier, we can work with you to select the best equipment for setting up an end-to-end process line at your existing site, or partner on designing a new greenfield site, from the ground up. It’s our aim take care of every detail, down to configuring robust, long-lifespan process components and space-saving, hygienic pipework. This level of attention to detail will help you get up and running as fast as possible, without unexpected delays or bottlenecks.

More sustainable processing

Manufacturing dairy products generates a lot of wastewater and residual – often wasted - heat energy, which could be used elsewhere in your plant. Here at GEA, we’ve developed technology processes to help minimize the use of water, recycle process water, and capture and reuse residual energy where possible. Our energy-efficient heating and cooling technologies, including refrigeration systems that use natural refrigerants, and heat recycling units, could help you to significantly cut overall energy use and carbon footprint.

Optimizing yield with less waste

Customers worldwide rely on our dedicated portfolio of centrifugal separators, homogenization and pasteurization units and energy-efficient steam injection and infusion UHT solutions. GEA dairy separators can optionally be equipped with the proplus system to achieve optimum product yield using less fresh water, and generating less waste water. GEA automation and process control systems are tailored specifically for the dairy industry. By monitoring in real time and, if required, automatically adjusting your process parameters, our automation tools can help you achieve reproducible, reliable output and top plant performance and productivity, 24/7. Of course, automation reduces manual tasks, reducing the risk of human error, and freeing up operators to carry out other essential plant functions.

Test centers for your peace of mind

GEA understands the significant challenges and financial risks posed by product development, so we have established dedicated test centers where you can trial your processes before scaling up production. Our test facilities for essential technologies – including formulation, high-shear mixing, inline-blending, separation, UHT, pasteurization, homogenization, membrane filtration, and aseptic filling – are available for you to conduct tests. Its our aim to help you keep energy use and raw material consumption to a minimum. GEA experts at the test centers can work collaboratively with you to evaluate your processes on GEA equipment. Our team can assist in formulating products, refining recipes, and optimizing entire process lines as part of a comprehensive manufacturing chain. By combining our process design expertise with the latest equipment and automation engineering, we help you select the best components, digital tools, and integrated equipment for end-to-end lines. consider every detail, including local processing practices and environmental conditions.

Contact your local GEA representative to find out more about any of our technologies and digital tools.