Advanced process control aids powdered milk

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Jun 10, 2003

Ingredia Dairy Ingredients is to implement Connoisseur advanced process control from Invensys on its powdered milk production line in St Pol France.

Ingredia Dairy Ingredients, a major manufacturer of powdered milk and milk derived food additives is to implement Connoisseur advanced process control from Invensys on its powdered milk production line in St Pol France.

The aim of the project will be to improve product quality on its powdered milk production line.

This should help sustain Ingredia's position as the supplier of choice of high quality milk ingredients in the French/European market.

Working through APV France and Foxboro France (both business units of Invensys Production Management division) the project team made up of Invensys and Ingredia Engineers will implement advanced process control on the evaporation and drying process used by Ingredia in the production of milk powder.

Jean-Noel Delforge, lead process control engineer at the St Pol plant comments: "We selected Connoisseur APC technology from Invensys because of its ease of use, and the extensive installed base on processes similar to our own.

We feel confident that this technology will provide us with the means to maximise the potential of the evaporator and dryer equipment we have in place at our plant.

The fact that Invensys has local staff available to support us in maintaining the application once it is up and running, was also an important factor in our decision".

Invensys' is the market leader in the application of commercial advanced process control for evaporator and dryer processes.

Many processes in the food manufacturing industry such as the production of milk powder, coffee, sugar, powdered foods, snack drinks and soup as well as in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry such as the production of cosmetics, resins and powdered colorants employ evaporation and drying processes to arrive at a finished product.

The latter are excellent candidates for optimisation with Connoisseur advanced process control as Andy Crosland - Business Development Manager for the Food and Beverage Industry - points out.

"Invensys engineers have successfully implemented this technology on installations around the world with excellent results for the manufacturing company.

The technology offers a means by which improved throughput, quality, energy consumption and thus profitability can be gained quickly without having to make large investments in new process hardware".