Flexible spray drying technologies capture diverse export opportunities

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Over the past decade, the biggest increases in dairy processing capacity have been made with the installation of new spray drying technology.

Over the past decade, the biggest increases in dairy processing capacity have been made with the installation of new spray drying technology.

It is said that success comes when opportunity meets readiness. For entrepreneurial food manufacturers determined to capitalise on rapidly changing consumer demand in Asia, Tetra Pak’s driers provide the flexibility to produce a wide range of value-added products.

“I believe we’ve developed a well-earned reputation for delivering spray dryers with the flexibility to not only reliably process commodity whole milk and skim milk powder, but also high quality infant formulas and other specialty products,” says Chris Morgan, processing market area leader, Tetra Pak Oceania.

“Over the past decade, the biggest increases in dairy processing capacity have been made with the installation of new spray driers. During that time, Tetra Pak has built some of the world’s biggest dryers, and also one of the world’s smallest.

“We’ve successfully completed, or are delivering, several large scale infant formula powder projects, including for Oceania Dairy, Synlait and Westland, and we’re building a speciality product drier for Tatua. We’re also proud to have designed and built a scaled-down version of our full capacity nutritional and commodity dryers to help keep New Zealand powder manufacturing at the top of the technology game.”

Mr Morgan is referring to New Zealand’s only independent development dryer, built by Tetra Pak for the New Zealand Food Innovation (Waikato) Ltd next to the Tetra Pak office in Hamilton. The multipurpose drying facility allows smaller manufacturers to produce test runs and model drying parameters for future large scale commercial production.

Tetra Pak Oceania’s extensive experience in spray drying technology and innovation has been a key factor in successfully securing many recent dryer projects. “Many of our customers have worked with us before, and come back to us because they are confident we can integrate new dryers and associated facilities with existing plant,” Mr Morgan says.

“For example, we’re building a second infant milk formula and nutritional spray dryer for Synlait Milk. This needs to be smoothly integrated into the existing site at Dunsandel, and must consistently produce infant formula identical to the product from the dryer we completed for Synlait in 2011.”

Other nutritional and commodity dryer projects currently under construction or testing in New Zealand include:

  • Oceania Dairy infant formula and powder plant, capable of producing 47,000 tonnes of infant milk powder a year, at Glenavy in the Canterbury region. Oceania Dairy in owned by China’s biggest dairy producer Yili. Completing testing ahead of commencing production in mid-September
  • Westland Dryer 7, capable of producing four tonnes/hour of infant formula or five tonnes/hour of wholemilk powder, at Hokitika. Westland Milk Products is New Zealand’s second largest dairy cooperative
  • Specialty products dryer for a variety of dairy and non-dairy products including whey hydrolysate, WPC80, casein hydrolysate, honey powder, cheese flavour and cream flavour for Tatua, at Tatuanui

Mr Morgan says the biggest challenge for Tetra Pak is meeting the demands of the current investment cycle for additional processing capacity, particularly in New Zealand. “It’s also starting to heat up in Australia, as the demand from Asia continues to put pressure on the supply of dairy product from Oceania.”

IBISWorld expects that 70-75 percent of Australian milk powder is bound for overseas markets, with revenue forecast to increase by an annualised 3.1 percent over the next five years to reach $1.6 billion in 2019-20.

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