IDM ¦ Site report
Minimized water usage
and emissions
Asia’s largest milk powder plant AmulFed uses
efficient GEA technologies
India’s largest dairy cooperative, Amul,
started producing milk products for
people in the Gujarat state, and beyond,
in the 1950s. Heralded as the
pioneer of India’s ‘white revolution’,
Amul has been instrumental in making India
one of the world’s largest producer of
milk and milk products. GEA being a global
technology leader and long-term partner
of Amul was the obvious choice to plan
and build Asia’s largest milk powder plant
at its AmulFed site in Gandhinagar. Thus,
the focus at the new AmulFed site in Gandhinagar
was set on sustainable production
with innovative and future-proof GEA
technologies. The plant was completed in
record time so that it could be commissioned
in time for this year's flush season,
the peak milk production season in India.
The scale of the powder plant, which
covers 26,000 m2, and is eight stories in
height, was unprecedented in the Indian
dairy sector. The automated GEA facility
can produce 150 metric tonnes per day
(TPD) of skimmed milk powder and 120
TPD of dairy whitener. The plant sits on
the same site as Amul’s existing 60 TPD
and 100 TPD powder plants, which were
also supplied by GEA, in 1994 and 2004,
respectively. “The three plants together
mean that AmulFed is now the largest
single-site skimmed milk powder facility
with capacity of 310 TPD in Asia,” explains
Rajesh Golani, Head of Sales Support and
Offer Management, GEA India.
Working in partnership
Amul approached GEA in 2015 to help
them in conceptualizing the AmulFed project
and to generate plans for the prospective
plant. GEA has equipped some of the
world’s biggest milk powder processing
plants, and the AmulFed stakeholders were
able to see these firsthand. “GEA & AmulFed
project teams visited New Zealand to
see the latest and large milk powder plants,
6 · May/June 2021 ¦ international-dairy.com
The MSD Spray Dryer is equipped with a dual feed system to allow 24/7 operation
and features a GEA developed DDD Air Disperser with adjustable nozzles
for precisely defined agglomeration and better bulk density control of the milk
powders. The system features GEA’s smart SPRAYEYE visual camera system, which
gives operators a better oversight and ultimate control of the atomization and
agglomeration process (image: GEA)
/international-dairy.com
/international-dairy.com
