GEA equips resource-conserving dairy plant with full range of processing technology

In the first quarter of 2020, the technology company GEA was commissioned by Hochwald Foods GmbH to provide the entire technological setup for dairy processing at a new plant in the German town of Mechernich, near Cologne. The contract comprises the implementation planning, production, delivery, assembly and commissioning as well as the acceptance of all process-related and operational treatment and processing machinery for manufacturing the various dairy products. Hochwald Foods, one of the largest dairy companies in Germany, wants to use the new facility to process roughly 800 million liters of milk per year to produce high-quality dairy products such as UHT milk, UHT cream, UHT drinkable yogurt, mixed milk products with a long shelf life as well as condensed milk. Installation of the first plant components is expected to begin before the end of 2020. The plant is slated to be commissioned in mid-2021.

“We are delighted that Hochwald Foods has placed its trust in GEA and our technology to bring such an important project to life. In all, GEA will deliver, install and commission all plant components for processing dairy products, from milk reception to filling machines. In the planning stages, particular attention was paid to the highly efficient, resource-saving setup of the plant as well as to fully integrating its design into the customer’s overall automation concept. GEA’s contribution here entails more than just providing its innovative technology for the individual steps in production: Rather, as a comprehensive supplier, it will additionally optimize the entire facility and configure it in an even more sustainable way,” said Stefan Klebert, CEO of GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft.

“Our aim is to produce high-quality dairy products to the most rigorous technical standards at our new plant in Mechernich. That is why we are looking to long-term, cost-efficient and sustainable solutions. We see GEA as an innovative and reliable partner for our project,” explains Thorsten Oberschmidt, COO of Hochwald Foods GmbH.