Communiqué pour la presse professionnelle
08 Jul 2022
“Considering the almost unparalleled impact that social developments are having on the beverage market, Drinktec could not have come at a better time,” says Ilija Aprcovic, Division CEO of Liquid and Powder Technologies at GEA. “The good news is that GEA is here to help our customers overcome these hurdles. That’s why, at Drinktec, we will be showcasing how we fit out plants to improve efficiency and sustainability as well as respond to consumer trends.”
In keeping with the GEA Group’s overarching climate goals, the innovations featured at the trade show will address a critical issue in beverage production – water consumption – and span water recovery and treatment in industrial processes through to water neutrality. By 2030, GEA aims to develop solutions, in particular new cleaning technologies, that do not require the use of drinking water.
Using the GEA CO₂ recovery solution helps producers to reuse CO₂ instead of emitting it. With stripping technology, GEA can recover even food-grade CO₂ from early stages of fermentation. Image: GEA
GEA enables customers to achieve their climate targets and meet ever-increasing regulations around emissions, water consumption and waste disposal by taking a more big-picture approach to processes. While the GEA technology experts put every component and parameter under the microscope during process planning, GEA never loses sight of a plant’s high-level workings.
One example of the flexibility of GEA equipment is the GEA AromaPlus membrane dealcoholization unit, which reduces the alcohol content in beer to <0.0 percent. At the same time, the resulting alcoholic base can serve as the basis for hybrid products. Image: GEA/Mike Henning
Shifting supply and demand dynamics and economic pressures are forcing manufacturers to shorten development times for new products. This makes equipment flexibility and productivity key priorities for sustainable beverage production. A lesson learned from the coronavirus pandemic is that manufacturers who can flexibly produce other beverages are better insulated against slumps in demand. GEA's approach to holistic engineering concepts as well as just-in-time production capabilities helps to prepare for the growing trend toward high dynamics.
For breweries that already have a brewhouse for producing the sugar base and technology for fermenting, blending, carbonating as well as bottling, any expansion is possible. One example of the flexibility of GEA equipment is the GEA AromaPlus membrane dealcoholization unit, which reduces the alcohol content in beer to <0.0 percent. This plant is also used for other non-alcoholic beverages such as 0.0% cider. At the same time, the resulting alcoholic base can serve as the basis for hybrid products, in this case trendy beverages containing alcohol, which run just-in-time through a GEA DICON inline blending plant. The portfolio is rounded out by the multifunctional GEA Visitron Filler ALL IN ONE, which meets the demand for short changeover times for containers.
Using an interactive user interface, GEA OptiPartner not only provides KPIs that make production line conditions fully transparent but also automatically analyzes and regulates efficiency and productivity. Image: GEA
The GEA Better Juice Sugar Converter Skid is the world’s first solution that naturally reduces juice’s sugar content by up to 80 percent, without affecting its nutritional value or authentic taste. Image: GEA
The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a rise in demand for vitamin-rich, immune-boosting vegetable and fruit juices that is set to last for years to come. Experts predict that the market’s annual growth potential in the years leading up to 2026 will be around five percent [1]. Reason enough for GEA to showcase at Drinktec two juice industry innovations that respond to the trends in minimal processing and low-sugar products.
The GEA vaculiq 100 vacuum spiral filter (left) and the GEA MultiCrush milling system are pre-assembled on movable skids and can be used flexibly. Image: GEA
Equipped with an integrated direct drive and twin hydrohermetic sealing, the GEA plug & win i is meant for craftbrewers and more efficient than conventional motors. Image: GEA
“Although sustainability, efficiency and digitalization are becoming increasingly intertwined, this should not be regarded as a Gordian knot,” says Aprcovic in summary. “We are devising technical solutions that leverage smart tools, mechanical engineering and plant design to give our customers a greater competitive edge and achieve broad environmental goals. At GEA, we believe that technology has the innovative power to propel entire industries forward. Our mission is to make that a reality.”
[1] Source: Fruit and Vegetable Juice Market | 2021 – 26 | Industry Share, Size, Growth – Mordor Intelligence
Media Relations
GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft
Peter-Müller-Str. 12
40468
Düsseldorf
Germany
+49 211 9136-0
GEA est un des principaux fournisseurs de l'industrie agroalimentaire et d'autres industries, qui sont à l’origine d’un revenu consolidé qui a atteint près de 4,9 Mrd EUR en 2019.