South Caernarfon Creameries completes expansion with Gemak
Credit: Gemak
South Caernarfon Creameries, Wales’ oldest and largest farmer-owned dairy co-operative, with 160 farmer members supplying locally sourced Welsh milk, produces over 20 varieties of Welsh and British cheeses. It embarked on a £15 million expansion plan to increase its cheese production capacity from 15,000 tons to 23,000 tons annually. Backed by a £5 million grant from the Welsh Government’s Food Business Investment Scheme, this investment aimed to bolster SCC’s resilience and competitiveness in the global market.
A designer and manufacturer of hygienic processing equipment and engineered solutions, Gemak has successfully completed “Project Dragon,” a whey, milk and cream processing with CIP units for South Caernarfon Creameries (SCC) in North Wales in the UK.
Alan Wyn-Jones, managing director of SCC, says, “After a thorough tendering process, Gemak was chosen due to their ability to integrate into our existing processes and systems, lead times, quality and competitiveness.”
Gemak leveraged its expertise in designing and manufacturing a hygienic whey processing plant, and the project also included a new milk and cream processing plant, storage silos, plus a CIP unit for SCC’s existing cheese plant. The facility has a processing capacity of 600 tonnes per day of milk and whey concentrate. This technology not only ensures product quality but also streamlines processes, reducing energy consumption, the carbon footprint and optimising resource utilisation.
The completion of Project Dragon was initially designed for net-zero water consumption on-site. However, the facility exceeded expectations, earning a “Net Zero Plus water” distinction by generating over 100,000 litres of clean water daily beyond what is recovered and reused on-site.
Gemak also delivered a facility capable of processing whey at a rate of 30 tons per hour and producing whey concentrate from RO (HIRO) with a capability of 30 per cent total solids, which it says is a first in the UK.
Gemak worked closely with Alfa Laval, Schneider Electric, Tetra Pak, Grundfos, and Ematics to deliver the facility.
Kursat Uysal of Gemak also reflected on the project’s successful completion and commissioning: “We are delighted to have completed this monumental project despite the challenges along the way. Establishing one of the UK’s most advanced whey processing facilities, capable of producing whey concentrate with 30% total solid, is a milestone for the UK dairy industry and a source of immense pride for us. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to our valued client SCC, the dedicated Gemak team, and all our solution partners for their perseverance and commitment.
“By exceeding our KPI’s, this project has greatly contributed to sustainability and efficiency, and we believe it will pave the way for many more important projects. We eagerly look forward to collaborating on future projects with SCC and achieving new milestones together.”
