Measurement and data technology for safe, accurate and efficient milk transportation
28 Jun 2018
The entire path of milk from pasture to consumer must be 100% controllable and traceable. GEA offers a series of officially approved precision measuring devices and tamper-proof components that ensure the highest standards of quality from farm to table.
Accurate metering, sampling and overall data capture at the milk tanker ensures that the partners involved in the process all benefit from having correct information; consumers have access to high quality dairy products and the farmer can rely on fair billing.
State-of-the-art flow metering
The IZMAG2™ measures milk flow rate and volume and is one of GEA Service’s key solutions for dairy fleets, who require state-of-the-art metering technology. It can be installed without inlet or outlet pipe connections and measures bidirectional flows, delivering high performance in the smallest of spaces.
Due to its improved lining technology, the IZMAG2™ can withstand extreme ambient temperatures and its stainless steel design and construction meets the highest hygienic standards. Continuous internal calibration means customers can count on the reliability of its measurements, particularly since the system cannot be manipulated.
Data capture to connect dairy partners
Dairy tanker fleets are often on the road 365 days a year. To ensure the safety of milk and maximize the efficiency and transparency of the entire process, GEA has developed the ZEVODAT™, a data capture and processing system with GPS capabilities, that links dairy farms, fleet drivers and milk plants.
The ZEVODAT™ is at the heart of a compact network of components typically installed directly on the milk tanker, and is used for the indication, data storage, control and transfer of measured values such as mass, volume and milk temperature. The volumetric measurement is provided by the IZMAG2™ flow meter. The ZEVODAT™, which consists of a board computer equipped with display screen and easy to use push buttons, integrates control functions for measuring systems components, such as the pump, valves and sampler.
The sampler collects one sample of each intake and a representative load sample to ensure the flawless quality of the raw milk delivered to the dairy plant. Likewise, milk temperature is recorded. The data is sent automatically via Bluetooth, GSM or GPRS to the dairy plant’s back-office system as soon as the intake has ended and includes:
- route and driver information, including date & time of each intake
- farmer’s name
- quantity of milk taken from each farmer
- quantity of milk in the entire tank
- milk temperature
Peripheral devices, including a printer, means the farmer is able to receive a printed voucher, confirming how much milk was taken and other relevant data, such as milk temperature, before the tanker leaves the farm. The farmer’s payment is based on the data indicated on the voucher, as well as the results of the samples taken which are analyzed back at the dairy plant. The ZEVODAT™ allows drivers to know exactly how much milk they are carrying so they can adjust their route accordingly. This means they can be sure their tank is as full as possible before delivering their milk load to the plant – saving time and fuel.
GEA has more than 60 years of experience providing milk transport solutions and equipping vehicles with data, sampling and measuring technology. Today, GEA’s state-of-the-art mounted data metering systems are running in more than 100 fleets in 20 countries, delivering the best-in-class mobile technology that customers have come to expect.
