Batch after batch. Year after Year.
Company: Lactosan
Location: Denmark
Year: 2021
Application: Cheese Powder
Technology: VacuumMaster
Lactosan strives to develop, produce and market ingredients to the food industry, primarily based on dried cheese products.
In 2019, Lactosan began looking for ways to optimise both the value chain and production and build knowledge for future product lines.
Expanding production on the same footprint
The key to Lactosan’s success is to provide customers with the exact taste, functionality and composition customers need. Batch after batch. Year after year.
To stay ahead of the demand, Lactosan set out to increase its production – from three to four lines. Increasing the production was not as straightforward in that both the existing equipment exhibited problems and square footage was limited.
“We started looking for solutions and concluded that a standard unit might not be the correct solution for us”
– Christian Gisler, Production Manager, Lactosan
The right partner
Lactosan looked for new ways to create a production setup that could deliver the desired quality batch – batch after batch, year after year – with a unique degree of flexibility. It was a journey that led them to Daniatech, a producer of flexible high shear mixers. Daniatech was founded to develop and sell state-of-the-art mixers for the process industry, and the manufacturer maintains a strong focus on high quality, flexible and energy-efficient solutions.
The Daniatech team began the dialogue in order to understand the company’s needs.
“They created a new solution that was uniquely adapted to our requirements”
– Christian Gisler, Production Manager, Lactosan
Even though the solutions were not tested on a production scale, the team at Lactosan had faith that Danitech would make this setup work.
“Daniatech was trustworthy. With their many years of experience and documentation of feasibility, they convinced us”
– Christian Gisler, Production Manager, Lactosan
Christian Gisler, the production manager at Lactosan notes that the Daniatech team listened to their problems and wishes. With their unique expertise, they understood the issues Lactosan faced. Lactosan’s unique process philosophy combined with Daniatech’s long experience with many different production designs aided in choosing the correct equipment while also considering and technically evaluating the requirements now and for the future.
“We were looking for a solution and not just a unit. Daniatech delivered – supplying not only three mixers but also a team dedicated to ensuring the best running parameters on the mixers”
– Christian Gisler, Production Manager, Lactosan
The final choice fell upon three VacuumMasters – two 1200 litres and one 1500 litres mixer to do the job.
The VacuumMaster is developed for products with medium to high viscosities and is designed with a directly driven high-shear mixer at the bottom and top-mounted agitator. The vacuum feature allows automatic handling of the powder dosing directly from bigbags or silos. Using vacuum, the powder is drawn into the mixer below liquid level and is instantly wetted.
The powerful, high-shear mixer generates a controlled vortex in the tank. The combination of vortex and vacuum effectively separates air from liquid and generates a perfect homogeneous dispersion within seconds.
“Daniatech continues to help us innovate and tackle the issues before they arise”
– Christian Gisler, Production Manager, Lactosan
Collaboration for the future
“Daniatech is always looking for new ways to improve our already well-functioning machines”
– Christian Gisler, Production Manager, Lactosan
The collaboration between Lactosan and Daniatech is built on mutual trust and communication. Christian Gisler and the team at Lactosan continue to work with the mixers, trimming them to run optimally while maintaining an open dialogue to see if new innovations or solutions can further enhance production.
“We have a great dynamic in our collaboration. We are heard, and this is translated through Daniatech’s vast knowhow and experience to a solution uniquely adapted for our site”
– Christian Gisler, Production Manager, Lactosan
By installing these new mixers, Lactosan has solved their issues. The new equipment runs more effectively and is custom-designed to fit within a very limited square footage alongside an existing production line.
About Lactosan
Lactosan has a deep understanding of what it takes to meet different preferences within different markets.
Lactosan provides customers with cheese powders, which are currently used in as many as 20+ different application areas, helping to ensure a delicious flavour and providing the extra functionality required.
With two modern manufacturing and R&D facilities located in Denmark and Uruguay, Lactosan provides cheese powders for many of the world’s best cheese manufacturers around the world.
What we delivered
- Two 1200 l VacuumMaster
- One 1500 l VacuumMaster
- Steam for heating
- Mixer head
- Vacuum suction from a powder funnel