IDM ¦ Technology/IT
Fully automated cheese
treatment with a robot
Stäubli six-axis machine used in the aging of Emmental cheese
The quality of cheese ultimately depends on proper storage
and aging. This is why Allgäuer Emmentalerkäserei
Leupolz in Germany’s Allgäu Alps opted for an innovative,
fully automated storage and maintenance system in
which round cheese loaves, each weighing approximately 80 kilos,
are handled by a large Stäubli six-axis machine.
The Leupolz cheese dairy is located near Wangen, just north
of Lake Constance, in a truly idyllic setting surrounded by forests,
pastures and meadows. Founded in 1960, the cooperative employs
25 people and obtains its milk from around 170 suppliers.
It processes around 45 million liters per year, equivalent to about
125,000 liters per day. Among the dairy’s specialties are cheese
“wheels” weighing approximately 80 kilos, some 6,000 of which
leave the farm every year, with around 10% qualifying for the
Demeter organic label.
16 · July/August 2022 ¦ international-dairy.com
The TX200L HE transfers the round cheese
to the maintenance system's conveyor belt.
The correct maintenance and care of these huge cheeses is a
laborious business. Achim Baumgärtner, Executive Assistant at Leupolz,
explains: “Each cheese wheel has to be attended to about
three times a week to ensure optimal quality. With an average
maturation period of four months, the cheeses have to be washed,
brushed and salted between 40 and 50 times, which is potentially
costly in terms of labor and expenditure.”
The management team at Leupolz was looking for a solution
that would be as efficient as it was economical, so that they could
offer this natural product at a competitive price despite the intensive
effort that goes into its storage and care. The vision of a fully
automated system began to take shape…
/international-dairy.com
