As one of the Mediterranean’s largest milk and dairy product manufacturers, Yörüko?lu Süt aims to become the region’s largest producer of milk and dairy products. Yörüko?lu Süt dairy experienced poor service for its pumps from another supplier at its 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 realize significant reductions in water, energy and emissions.

Successful trial proves pump efficiency

Increasing plant sustainability by optimizing pump operations held great appeal for Yörüko?lu 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 Alfa Laval LKH pumps. Compact yet powerful, LKH pumps deliver greater energy efficiency than similar premium centrifugal pumps and are 30% or more energy efficient than similar midrange pumps. A month and a half of testing convinced Yörüko?lu Süt to purchase and install the LKH pumps, which have been continuously delivering optimal performance and energy savings.

“Fast delivery time ensured that we could optimize pump operations quickly and realize savings,” says Burak Aksoy, Factory Manager, Yörüko?lu Süt. “We are pleased with the continuous operation and energy savings realized from the LKH pumps.”

Plant expansion and partnership for optimal performance, sustainability and savings

Great collaboration among Yörüko?lu Süt, Alfa Laval, and Tetra Pak – and the successful results with the LKH pumps – led to further discussions about expanding the dairy’s Antalya plant with an adjacent 26,000 square-meter production facility.

The scope of supply included Alfa Laval technical know-how, installation, service and support, and a broad range of Alfa Laval equipment such as:

• Centrifugal pumps
• Single-seat valves
• Mixproof valves
• Check valves
• Butterfly valves
• ThinkTop® valve control units
• Heat exchangers
• Pasteurizers
• Agitators
• Tank equipment
• Cleaning-in-Place (CIP) systems

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, a smaller footprint due to the compact and efficiency equipment size. What’s more, the added advantages included quick assistance from Tetra Pak, short delivery time, and minimal valve and pump maintenance.

Learning about how Alfa Laval and Tetra Pak could further our sustainability agenda with water and energy savings was eye-opening.

Sustainability, trust and open communication

The hallmark of great business relationships relies largely on trust and open communication. Being able to rely on your partners implicitly as well as being open to new ideas and dialogue inevitably creates the right conditions to succeed. However, in this case, sustainability proved the common denominator and driving force for the partnership among Yörüko?lu Süt, Tetra Pak and Alfa Laval.

“We share common values and a common vision for more sustainable manufacturing processes that’s good for our planet,” says Yörüko?lu Süt’s Aksoy.

Yörüko?lu 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 of processing components of the new Antalya plant and plans to order more Alfa Laval pumps. This bodes well for achieving optimal plant sustainability and operating efficiency as well as the lowest total cost of operation for the dairy.

The Alfa Laval LKH centrifugal pumps increase process productivity while providing high efficiency, gentle product handling alongside food safety and hygiene.