Sustainable optimisation boosts energy savings by 30% for Turkish dairy products manufacturer
Turkish milk and dairy products manufacturer Yörükoğlu Süt relies on process optimisation to deliver measurable sustainability gains that help boost its bottom line. After experiencing issues with pumps provided by a former supplier, the dairy turned to its packaging provider, and Alfa Laval’s global alliance partner, Tetra Pak, for assistance. What began as a routine visit by Alfa Laval to the Antalya processing plant evolved into a long-term partnership to bring increased running time, reduced costs, higher energy savings, and an enhanced sustainability profile to the milk processing plant.
Already well-established in the Mediterranean and Aegean regions, Yörükoğlu Süt aims to become the area’s largest producer of milk and dairy products. Yörükoğlu Süt’s dairy had been experiencing poor service for its pumps from its former supplier at the Antalya plant, which has a production capacity of 600 tons per day. The dairy asked Tetra Pak to assess the problem, and as an Alfa Laval application specialist was conducting intermediate valve and pump training with Tetra Pak in Istanbul at the time, both companies sent a representative to Antalya. Using Joules, the online Alfa Laval sustainability tool to compare fluid handling equipment and verify savings on water, energy and cleaning media, the representatives recommended replacing the existing pumps with Alfa Laval LKH pumps to realise significant reductions in water and energy consumption, as well as reduced emissions.
Successful trial of dairy pump replacement
Increasing plant sustainability by optimising pump operations held great appeal for Yörükoğlu Süt. Alfa Laval conducted three workshops to demonstrate its expertise, reliability and commitment to customer service to the dairy. Based on relevant information, such as pipe length and bends, Alfa Laval recommended replacing the existing pumps with its LKH pumps. Compact yet powerful, LKH pumps deliver greater energy efficiency than similar premium centrifugal pumps and are at least 30% more energy efficient than some similar midrange pumps. A month and a half of testing convinced Yörükoğlu Süt to purchase and install the LKH pumps, which have been continuously delivering optimal performance and energy savings ever since.
“Fast delivery time ensured that we could optimise pump operations quickly and begin to realise savings,” says Burak Aksoy, factory manager at Yörükoğlu Süt. “We are pleased with the continuous operation and energy savings achieved with the LKH pumps.”
Strong collaboration among Yörükoğlu Süt, Alfa Laval, and Tetra Pak, along with the successful results from the LKH pumps, led to further discussions about expanding the dairy’s Antalya plant with an adjacent 26,000m2 production facility.
The broader scope of supply provided greater energy savings from Alfa Laval agitators and pumps, more water savings from Alfa Laval Unique Mixproof valves and agitators, and a smaller footprint due to the compact equipment size and efficiency. Furthermore, the additional advantages included fast and agile assistance from Tetra Pak, short delivery time, and minimal valve and pump maintenance.
“Learning how Alfa Laval and Tetra Pak could further our sustainability agenda with water and energy savings was eye-opening,” says Aksoy, reflecting on the benefits of the successful partnership.
Yörükoğlu Süt has signalled that the company plans to strengthen the partnership with Tetra Pak and Alfa Laval. The dairy is now working with Alfa Laval to supply all processing components to the new Antalya plant, and plans to order additional pumps. This bodes well for achieving optimal plant sustainability and operating efficiency as well as the lowest total cost of operation for the dairy.