Arla Foods

Arla foods

Arla Foods, a global dairy company and a co-operative owned by Danish, Swedish and German dairy farmers, brought its Havarti production to the United States when it purchased the White Clover Dairy in 2006. Located in Hollandtown, WI USA, this dairy dates back to 1897 and has a long history of cheese making, including Edam and Gouda. Today, the Hollandtown Dairy is the largest U.S. producer of Havarti, producing 27 million pounds annually, and crafts award-winning Gouda and Edam that are made according to old world recipes and methods.

Hollandtown Dairy Fast Facts

• Daily raw milk use – 1.3 million+ lbs
• Daily cheese production 100,000+ lbs
• Cheeses produced Havarti, Gouda, Edam, Fontana, Munster and Farmers

Arla Foods is driven by its commitment to following a “Closer to Nature” philosophy that extends from the cow to the consumer. “We have our own farmers and only use milk that is hormone free,” said Henrick Jessen, Site Director at Hollandtown. “Throughout the production process we focus on food safety and quality first.”

By partnering with Pentair Südmo as its valve provider, Arla Foods is able to assure both safety and quality at the Hollandtown plant, plus the lean, simple set-up of the valves increases the production efficiency.

The benefits from the upgrades at the plant that included Südmo’s single seat and mix proof valves and control units are measurable. “The cheese vats can now be operated by one person per shift, where in the past it took two,” said Ted Vande Yacht, Engineering/Maintenance Manager at Hollandtown. “We can now wash more than one circuit at a time so cleaning is faster, there is less waste of water and cleaning solutions, and the process is automated instead of manual.” Milk in, cheese out.

At Hollandtown, Pentair Südmo valves are used throughout the plant, from raw milk receiving to curd discharge. Hollandtown gained the greatest efficiency when Südmo’s 365it PMO Mix Proof valve technology replaced the swing bend systems that were previously used on the cheese vats. By using mix proof valves, one valve replaces up to three conventional valves while providing many process benefits.

The 365it PMO Mix Proof Valve eliminates waiting time for CIP and allows fully automated processing and CIP of milk fill. Using a 365it Mix Proof Valve coupled to the milk fill line and vat, Hollandtown can fill vats as needed and the milk lines can CIP regardless of vat processing.

Pentair Südmo’s mix proof technology allows for continuous cleaning and processing at the same time, which meets Arla’s needs. Most of the valves used by Arla include control units that allow for the control and feedback position detection of the pneumatic process valves.

Curd discharge is a critical component of cheese processing. When curd is transferred through pipework, it must be handled gently to ensure minimal shear to the fragile curd. With conventional valving, cheese vats require large and complicated valving arrangements. Now, safe separation of curd and CIP is accomplished with one compact valve arrangement.

“We now have fewer to maintain and they are easier to work with,” Vande Yacht said. “Also, Südmo provides good support, training and education.” Arla’s Hollandtown Dairy was the first cheese plant to install Südmo’s new 365it Complete PMO Curd Outlet Valve. This valve meets the latest requirements for having a leakage outlet less than 100 percent compared to its pipe size and approved for seat lift with product on one side and CIP on the other side. Arla’s Hollandtown Dairy is growing and Südmo valves make that process easier. “Before it would take six weeks to train a new employee to operate a system and now because of the automation training time is cut in half,” Hinderman said. Going forward, when the Hollandtown Dairy is ready for another expansion or improvement, they plan on including Südmo valves. “We are very happy with Südmo,” Jessen said. “Using Südmo valves was the right direction to go, so if something isn’t broke, why fix it.”

365it Complete PMO Mix Proof Valve

• First PMO mix proof valve with less than a full port leakage chamber to meet 3-A 85-02 standards
• IntelliTop 2.0 Control Unit - Provides required feedback to meet PMO - Fast and easy setup - IP65, IP67, IP69 protection classes

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