Background
Bega Cheese (formerly Lion Dairy and Drinks), markets premium brands across a variety of categories. Its diverse portfolio spans 38 sites, covering dairy, juice, soy, alcoholic, and non-alcoholic beverages. Their cheese-making site in Burnie, one of the Southern Hemisphere’s largest specialty cheese factories, was undergoing a $110 million development to extend the factory. This expansion aimed to increase its milk processing from 83,000,000 litres to 145,000,000 litres per annum.
Objectives
- Improved water quality for the cheese-making process.
- Address and stabilize fluctuating water pressure.
- Ensure sediment-free water supply to prevent equipment damage.
- Optimize space and water usage efficiency in the filtration process.
Challenges
Bega faced significant issues with its water supply, including:
- Inconsistent and high fluctuations in water pressure.
- Presence of sediment in the incoming water supply.
- Fluctuating water pressure can dislodge sediment particles like rust and scale from old steel or cast iron pipework, impacting valves, causing flooding, and corroding plumbing systems, leading to high repair costs.
Solution
We were engaged to design and supply a comprehensive water filtration system for the mains inlet to deliver premium quality water. The solution included:
- A package unit with six JUDO backwash screen filters to automatically remove sediment from the water supply without interrupting service flow.
- Systems to limit large pressure fluctuations on the mains water inlet.
- A brine filtering system using a media filtration unit with granular crushed glass, which does not require replacement like carbon or sand media.
Outcome
Our filtration system:
- Occupied just 1% of the floor space compared to traditional media filtration systems.
- Used only 180 litres of water for backwashing, a stark contrast to the 12,775 litres required for media vessels with similar capacity.
- Provided filtration down to 30 microns with pressure reduction and balancing to 500kPa.
- The Bega site now consistently meets testing parameters, ensuring a reliable incoming water supply essential for producing its world-class cheese.
In Summary
Through innovative water filtration solutions, we helped save over 98% on projected water wastage, stabilised water pressure, and significantly improved water quality, ensuring the continued production of the premium cheese.
Customized Solutions Await
Tailored solutions are just a message away. Contact our team to explore how we can customize strategies to fit your unique requirements.
Free call 1800 656 771 or email Andrew
Southland Filtration is a leading Australian provider of commercial water filtration solutions. We’ve been helping businesses since 1995 with a focus on quality, custom solutions, and reliable service. We work with businesses and organisations in Australia and New Zealand to address their unique water challenges and maintain the highest standards.