Project
NIRAS assisted Arla Foods in establishing most modern milk powder factory in Northern Europe
With the help of NIRAS Arla Foods built a new milk powder factory to benefit from excess milk.
NIRAS helped Arla Foods establishing the most modern milk powder factory in Northern Europe. The milk powder plant will act as buffer for excess milk and produce high quality products for export. NIRAS' industry-specific knowledge ensured the establishment of an efficient factory.
November 22, 2017
- SDG: #7, #12
- SECTORS: Food & Beverage
- COUNTRIES: Sweden
- CLIENT: Arla Foods
There is a large daily variation in milk supply in Sweden. To optimise their operations, Arla Foods wished to be able to produce milk powder from their plant in Vimmerby when milk was in excess.
NIRAS has worked with Arla Foods dairy factories for many years and conducted projects all over the world, including Sweden.
Greenfield CapEx project for Arla Foods
This time, NIRAS consulted Arla Foods on the Greenfield CapEx project that lead to a modern and efficient factory that acts as a buffer for excess milk in Vimmerby, Sweden.
To date, the plant has been NIRAS’ largest project for Arla Foods in Sweden.
Firstly, NIRAS assisted Arla Foods with site selection. Good infrastructure with access for transport, logistics, secure supply of utilities and a site with room for expansion were among the key criteria.
Once the site was selected, the design of the building and utility installations was made by NIRAS, with close integration of the process equipment and buildings.
Conceptual design and detailed desing of factory
The design was made to have an efficient layout and flow, a high grade of food safety, easy access for visitors and staff, with future expansion in mind and with respect for the local surroundings and community.
With the conceptual design in place, the task for NIRAS was to conduct the detailed design. Subsequently, NIRAS did the tendering and project execution for Arla Foods, including site management and commissioning.
Demand for a sustainable solution
It is important for Arla Foods to act responsibly towards the environment and the communities they are a part of. In regard to the new factory in Vimmerby, Arla Foods wanted a sustainable site and the use of wood chips for energy consumption to be a central part of the design.
NIRAS has worked with Arla Foods dairy factories for many years and carried out projects all over the world.
With the help of NIRAS experts, Arla Foods now has a modern and sustainable factory that produces milk powder from 350 million kilos of milk a year. More than 90% of the heat requirement is covered by steam produced from wood chips, collected from nearby forestry work. And since the factory is situated close to the milk farms, the need for transport has been minimized.
