Lorien Engineering Solutions has launched a tool that enables dairy producers to spot bottlenecks and drive expansion of production lines.
OPTI-Milk models milk and cream processing from intake to filling to demonstrate the theoretical capacity of a dairy, including CIP. The detailed data provided can be utilised throughout the manufacturing process from raw ingredients to the finished product.
The software was successfully developed for the brewing industry but has been modified to enable dairy manufacturers to drive efficiencies in their production process.
Lorien is a Burton on Trent-based engineering design and project management firm with a track record of providing engineering design and project management to some of the UK’s best-known food and drink brands.
Nicholas Jones, project manager at Lorien, said: “This tool is based on the principle that good, strategic decisions are made with good information.
“By adding empirical Overall Equipment Effectiveness figures and known restrictions, we can show maximum capacities. When a step change in production capacity is planned, OPTIMilk highlights the pinch points in the process and identifies the extra plant and equipment needed.
“It can be easily reconfigured for different scenarios, such as varying OEE figures or by understanding the impact on capacity by taking key equipment out of service for maintenance or failure.
“The nature of its open framework means OPIMilk can be adapted for other processes across the food and dairy industry and enables one process to cascade into another.”
Lorien specialises in capital projects for food, brewing, drinks, life sciences, biotech and safety compliance, and sustainability. It is a division of GP Strategies Corporation, a global engineering and technical services organisation headquartered in Maryland, USA.
Food and drink is the firm’s largest sector by revenue, with a specialist team handling engineering projects from study phase through design and procurement to final commissioning and handover.
LORIEN ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS
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