World Milk Day: Sustainability begins with measurement
Milk is a fridge staple for many families. In order to ensure its safety and sustainability, real-time monitoring is needed along the entire production and supply chain. This is where automation technology from ifm comes into play.
How we support the dairy industry's sustainability goals
Ensuring safety in dairy processing facilities is the top priority, yet many companies also understand that minimizing resource consumption stands to benefit the entire industry. By reducing water and chemical usage, companies in the dairy industry can lessen their carbon footprint and their environmental impact. But, it's crucial to first have a clear understanding of baseline consumption levels before any reduction efforts can be effectively implemented. Therefore, sustainability initiatives start with measurement.
Measure your impact
It is a complex process to ensure dairy products make it all the way from the farm, processing plant, and supermarket to the customer table without spoiling. We know producers want to make and process dairy products in the safest way possible while still reducing their impact on the planet. They need high-quality, reliable automation solutions for their plants and processes to achieve this goal.
Real-time monitoring of process data provides dairy facilities with the information they need to make a change and measure impact without sacrificing safety or product quality. Offering fully digital signals over IO-Link, the ifm product portfolio provides access to previously trapped data and reduces inaccuracies in data that occur during analog conversions. This lays the foundation for IIoT initiatives that allow dairy processing insight into where to gain process efficiencies without sacrificing product safety and quality.
IIoT for sustainable dairy processing
A dairy company located in Wisconsin, Emmi Roth had a goal of reducing water consumption during their cleaning cycle. The company decided to install ifm conductivity sensors and were able to move from a time-based interval cleaning cycle to a performance-based interval cycle. When the sensor data showed that it was fresh water cycling through, they were able to stop the cycle earlier than when relying on a time-based interval and cut minutes off the cycle time. The following results were:
- Reduced a 14-minute cleaning cycle down to 10 minutes
- Reduced a 12-minute cleaning cycle down to 9 minutes
- Reduced downtime by 25%
- Saved 1.2-1.5 million gallons of water per year
This application was made possible with an IO-link enabled conductivity sensor that provided more accurate data in real-time.
With the foundation of IO-Link in a dairy processing plant, a company can reduce their carbon emissions by analyzing how even small process changes can increase efficiency and reduce consumption of resources. With increased access to process data, factories can make the switch from time-based monitoring to instrument-based monitoring, saving resources and reducing their environmental impact.
At ifm we are committed to helping dairy producers embrace sustainability while maintaining product safety and quality. By leveraging the power of IO-Link and our automation solutions, dairy facilities can make informed decisions, optimize processes, and contribute to a more sustainable future.
Join us in celebrating World Milk Day by taking steps towards a safer and more sustainable dairy industry. To learn more about our solutions and how we can support your sustainability initiatives, contact our team.
Together, let's create a positive impact on the safety, quality, and sustainability of dairy processing.
