Technical Details
Dairy farmer, Dale Hemminger, explaining cow feed
Our manufacturing plant will introduce into the United States the highest technology cheese manufacturing process in the world. Manufactured in Germany by Alpma, GmbH, the manufacturing process moves through an automated, continuous production line, called a coagulator. It does not include the usual vat process which is historically the basis of cheese production.
Robotic washing of cow before robotic milking
The Alpma system is much more energy efficient and environmentally friendly than traditional systems. As part of our business, experts from Alpma in Germany will continue to be brought to New York State to consult on instalation and operation of the plant.
Throughout the development of this business, Alpma has provided continous technical assistance in researching the market and the application of their technology to the market. A drawing of their system is below.
The Alpma system is so efficient, it uses 60% less electricity than normal cheese production methods. In recognition of this efficiency, SCC will receive $250,000 from the New York State Energy Research and Development Agency (NYSERDA) to support this production equipment.
Beyond this main production system, the entire factory is being built with insulation, lighting, cleaning and control systems that will make it very environmentally friendly. During 2010, the manufacturing process engineering of the full factory was designed. During 2011, this process was reviewed to produce more efficiencies in energy use and to prevent energy loss.
Two examples are air and water. The use of an air-cleaning system will reduce the quantity of heated air to be released outside the building from the levels which had originally been calculated.
The addition of a waste-water cleaning system will allow for the re-use of a significant amount of water, and will reduce the level of discharge into the sewer system from what we had originally calculated. Our significant investment in this system will help us to be good neighbors and to not over-stress the local water and sewer systems. The waste water which the system cleans is the water which comes from milk after the removal of solids from which the cheese is made. Water cleaned by this system will then be used to clean manufacturing equipment within the plant. Installation of this system will keep our waste water output well within the existing capacity of the City of Auburn municipal sewer system and its connections with the Town of Aurelius. It will also reduce the quantity of water needed from the City water system.
Compared with our originally-announced cost of the factory, the current price of $40 million is somewhat lower. This is the result of a simplification of our previously-projected line of products. Less types of cheese to be manufactured has meant less equipment needed. This has meant a lower cost for the whole project.
Cow in robotic milking machine
Currently, many Central New York State farms are shipping their milk long distances. Such shipping has negative impacts on the environment, including the use of diesel fuel. We will use milk produced locally, reducing the environmental impact of shipping. If possible, we will use B-20 biodiesel in milk-hauling trucks.
On the farms which will be producing milk for us, we will encourage and assist in the installation of biogas digesters, which produce and capature methane from cow manure and other agricultural wastes. This methane, in turn, can generate heat and electricity for use on the same farms. These systems protect local watersheds from manure run-off. They also protect the atmosphere from the methane emitted by the decay of raw cow manure. In that form, methane is a harmful greenhouse gas.
Alpma Coagulator, 150 foot long, automated cheese manufacturing system
Looking down length of the Coagulator, showing movable mini-vat separation plates