Ventilation and refrigeration technology planned and delivered by Voith has been in use since February 2014 at the Bayreuth cheese dairy of the mozzarella producer Bayernland. Richard Schaller, Bayreuth plant manager, says: “The collaboration with Voith in the planning and execution phase met our expectations completely. The system concept and the quality delivered have proven themselves in practice and are making an important contribution to the quality assurance of our products.”

Bayernland produces cheese and fresh milk products at five locations in Bavaria which are marketed worldwide. The Bayreuth cheese dairy specializes in production of hard cheese and mozzarella. The previous air conditioning systems were originally designed for a different type of production and were not applicable for mozzarella production. Thus, Voith was commissioned with the planning and delivery of new production air conditioning technology. Operation efficiency has been the key factor for designing the system. The new system provides for controlled and hygienic room conditions in order to meet the quality requirements.

The concept is based on a fresh air system with heat recovery using a plate heat exchanger. This principle facilitates an energy-saving operation which constantly supplies the production with fresh air year-round. The supply air for the production hall is heated via heat recovery by the warm exhaust air from the adjacent evaporation area. The exhaust air from the production is extracted and conducted outside via existing wall and roof fans which were retrofitted with frequency converters. The installed cooler provides for constant room temperatures year-round in order to ensure an optimal production environment. Cooling is supplied by a high-efficiency chiller as air cooled cold water unit.

The required hygienic production conditions depend on a high level of air purity, a controlled air balance and process-oriented air distribution. The high level of air purity is achieved by two-stage filtering of outside and supply air which can be expanded by adding a filter for suspended particles, if required. The air distribution has marginal turbulence based on the principle of displacement ventilation with textile air outlets. They are washable and can be removed easily. Thus, the plant size can be optimized, which lowers energy consumption and operating costs. The air quantity will be controlled by frequency converters by an intelligent automation technology. Moreover, a controlled air balance will be ensured which guarantees an overpressure in relation to the adjacent areas in the mozzarella production to prevent recontamination.

Voith Paper is a division of the Voith Group and the leading partner to and pioneer in the paper industry. Through constant innovations, Voith Paper is optimizing the paper manufacturing process, focusing on developing resource-saving products to reduce the use of energy, water, and fibers. Furthermore, Voith Paper offers a broad service portfolio for all sections of the paper manufacturing process.

Voith sets standards in the markets energy, oil & gas, paper, raw materials and transport & automotive. Founded in 1867, Voith employs more than 43,000 people, generates € 5.7 billion in sales, operates in about 50 countries around the world and is today one of the biggest family-owned companies in Europe.