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Automation in The Dairy Industry

Many dairy and dairy ingredient manufacturers are operating with obsolete and unsupportable automation systems. Despite tough economic conditions and tightened regulations, milk production isn’t slowing down – if anything, Automated Dairy Farms and Dairy processing plants are ramping up production levels. Today, Dairy processing plants must develop a sustainable approach to innovation to succeed in this ever-changing environment. Malisko has a wide breadth of experience in the dairy industry and can help drive that success through a variety of dairy automation technologies.

Dairy Automation Technologies and Applications

Blending / Mixing
Churning
Crystallization
Curdling
Cutting
Drying
Evaporation
Fermentation
Filling
Fractionation
Homogenization
Intake
Loadout
Milling
Moulding
Packaging
Pasteurization
Pressing
Ripening
Salting / Brining
Separation
Standardization
Ultra Filtration
Ultra Pasteurization
Whey Drying
Whey Evaporation
Whey Fractionation

Malisko: A Dairy Automation Industry Leader

Malisko understands that dairy manufacturing can be both very similar and vastly different than other food and beverage manufacturing. Addressing your specific needs to create automated dairy farming systems requires a depth of knowledge that not all automation experts possess. From understanding federal, state and local level regulations to manufacturing process applications, it is important that who you partner with understands the unique aspects of dairy manufacturing.

Our dedicated Engineers have years of experience automating Evaporators, Separators, Homogenizers, Cheese Vats, Membrane systems (ROs, UFs, MFs, etc.), Powder conveying systems, Crystallizers, Fermenters, Blend systems, Spray Dryers, HTST, UHTs, Contherms and more. Malisko works with its clients to design and implement entirely new production systems from the ground up and provide improvements to existing systems through technology migrations.

How a Dairy Plant Transformed from Manual to Fully Automated

An automation infrastructure overhaul and new e-records and reporting are optimizing operations and Grade “A” PMO compliance for its milk powder plant.

Heat Exchangers Offer Big Processing Paybacks

While it may not be as prominent as many other dairy processing technologies, the heat exchanger is far from lowly. The equipment, which is used to transfer heat between two or more fluids during the cooling and heating processes without mixing the fluids together, can have a major impact on processing efficiencies and operating expenses.

Case Study: Dairy Producer Makes Quantum Leap from Fully Manual to Fully Automatic Manufacturing Operation including E-Records and Reporting for PMO Compliance

A national dairy producer wanted to increase receiving capacity and storage capacity, including cow water processing into Pasteurized Equivalent Water (PEW); in other words water conservation by being able to use the cow water (condensate off the evaporator); at a recently acquired milk powder plant.

White Paper: Dairy Producer Experiences Production Improvement with Process and Controls Upgrades to their Evaporation System

Malisko Enables Dairy Producer To Experience Significant Production Improvements with Controls Upgrade to 30 Year Old Milk Processing Systems.

Our Approach to Dairy Automation

No two dairy processing plants are the same. Malisko offers dairy automation technologies to fit your facility’s specific needs and goals. Whether you’re starting from scratch, just completed an OEE review, or are looking to improve the performance of existing automation systems, Malisko is here to provide the exact solutions you need. Our experts can not only provide you with specific automation designs and implementation, but we’ll also provide business justification for each of our recommendations. Our expert team can assist you at any point in the process. 

Our approach to dairy process engineering and automation has delivered results for over 20 years. It has allowed us to provide our clients with consistent, efficient production, and measurable ROI. How do we do it?

Site Assessment

Before we can design your new system and implement automation solutions that save you money and improve efficiency, we have to understand your challenges. To achieve this, we can engage with you to perform a site assessment. We listen to your operators, maintenance staff, engineers and operations personnel to fully understand your process, how your business operates, the problems you want to solve and what success means to you. Most important, we take the time to understand the best ways to collaborate with your in-house engineers throughout the automation process as we become familiar with your facility and the systems that make it run.

Our site assessment follows a tried and true process and is the first step in implementing an automation solution. During each site assessment, we will:

  • Identify Existing Automation Controls
  • Identify Potential Cost-Saving Solutions
  • Identify Opportunities
  • Business Justification
  • Presenting Automation Solutions
Front-End Engineering Design (FEED)

Successful engineering has to align everyday production with the big picture. Each processing unit and work cell must come together with your automation system to form not only an efficient production process but also one that matches your business goals and realities. When we present an automation solution to you, we make sure it matches your budget, your timeline, your current production realities and your goals, all while minimizing risk.

Our Front End Engineering Design (FEED) sets the foundation for a successful project accomplished on time, on budget and in a way that fits your in-house team.

If the needs of your business, plant and production line change over time, our systems come ready to change along with them. And if you need, we’ll even tweak the system design to fit the skill sets of your support team. We believe the best systems change for you. It shouldn’t be the other way around.

Once the FEED is completed, you will receive:

  • Outlined Business Objectives
  • Project Timeline & Budget
Detailed Engineering and Design

In our detailed engineering and design service, we transform the conceptual into the final design. We use all the knowledge we gain from the automation solutions site assessment and Front End Engineering Design (FEED) to minimize your risk, get you running quickly, and align our work with your business realities. Here we will also flush out project risks, planning for them by nailing down a realistic project budget, execution plan and timeline.

Malisko both designs your automation system and implements it. Our detailed engineering and design service picks up right after our FEED services leave off, and our system integration execution picks up right after our detailed engineering and design. We can handle the complete package: specification, design, procurement, development, on-site execution, troubleshooting and support of the control, network, security and MES layers.

During this phase, we can provide you with:

Project Execution

After we’ve completed our thorough automation solutions site assessment, Front End Engineering Design and Detailed Engineering Design, we have the information we need to document, code and integrate your automated system. We keep in mind your business goals. We factor in the strengths and limitations of your team, and we prioritize your most important objectives.

We design your system on a foundation of understanding so that we can rapidly implement it with absolute precision. We program each function in your system and set up an intuitive Human Machine Interface (HMI) and reporting that allows your team to adopt your system efficiently. We outfit your system with the reporting you need to stay on top of your production. Prior to installation, we run your system through several rounds of intensive testing in a simulated environment to make sure it works. Once we have programmed your machines, set up your HMI, created a useful reporting program and tested the functionality and performance of your system, it is time to install your system in your facility. When on-site system installation is complete, our team again extensively tests the operation, performance and functionality of the new system holistically from the field devices through to reporting.

During this phase, we can provide you with:

  • Programming & Logic Development
  • Human Machine Interface (HMI) Development
  • Reporting
  • System Integration Testing & Simulation
  • On-Site Process Commissioning
Validation

Computer System Validation (CSV) is a must in FDA-regulated industries. We design and implement your system to deliver consistent, efficient production that also meets CSV for FDA. And we prove it too. If you operate in a regulated industry, we take care of the paperwork related to CSV and reduce your Regulatory risk. We can provide a Validation Master Plan (VMP) and use it to guide our work. We document requirement specs, design specs, functional specs, test plans, installation and operational protocols, trace matrices and summary reports. We execute the protocols as well. We assist with keeping your records up-to-date via change control and help keep your system in compliance. Minimizing risk is ingrained in our company because we are committed to delivering you ROI.

During this phase, we can provide you with:

  • Computer System Validation Documentation
  • Executed Validation Protocols
  • Electronic Records
Post Project Support

If any troubles emerge with your system, we have you covered, whether it is warranty or support under a formal service contract. When you work with Malisko Engineering, you don’t just get a system, you get a whole team to support it. If you have a full maintenance and system support staff on hand, we will provide assistance to fill the cracks. As much as practical, we can help your team be properly equipped to maintain and troubleshoot your process and automation system. If you need full support services, we are available 24/7 to make sure your system works.

During this phase, we can provide you with:

  • Post-Commissioning Technical Support
  • Remote Support

In Need of Automation Solutions for Your Dairy Facility?

Malisko has decades of experience creating automation solutions for clients in the Dairy Industry. Contact our experts today.

Sweet Dreams Are Made of Cheese

Read how Malisko partnered with Rockwell Automation and The Center for Dairy Research to make quality improvements for 640-pound cheddar block production. Download our Project Brief to learn more.

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