Alfa Laval : at Drinktec 2017 – together we “Made it happen”

Under the theme 'Make it happen' Alfa Laval focused on how beverage and beer producers can increase yield throughout the production process, reach the right diversity of flavour and achieve purity of taste in the products, at the same time maximize energy efficiency, uptime, water savings and waste recovery.

Relevant solutions matching industry trends

Among the highlights at the Alfa Laval stand, the De-alcoholization Module attracted visitors for many reasons. 'Consumer tastes and worldwide market configurations are more fluid and less predictable than ever before. New generations of beer drinkers and new consumer groupings are often also becoming more health focused, resulting in important new consumer narratives in many relatively affluent societies and upwardly mobile social groups. As a result, there is a steady, substantial and global move towards beers featuring less alcohol - or none at all,'' said John Kyle Dorton, Vice President and Head of Brewery systems.

The Alfa Laval De-alcoholization Module - a streamlined combination of heat exchangers, instruments and flow control - efficiently provides non-alcohol beer below 0.05% alcohol by volume at low temperature and pressure in one process. The module first degasses the beer, returns condensable volatiles back to the beer stream, and then removes alcohol using culinary steam flowing upwards in a special stripping column. The alcohol exits as a vapour, which is condensed and collected. This fully automated, energy-efficient module gives a reliable single-pass alcohol removal, using a stripping principle that is exceptionally effective at low temperature and pressure, keeping operating costs to a bare minimum.

Visitors to the Alfa Laval stand were also able to see the:

• Alfa Laval LKH Prime - a self-priming pump featuring air-screw technology. Designed to deliver maximum efficiency of CIP systems in beer and beverage production, whilst offering quiet operation. It can also pump product, reducing capital investment.
• Alfa Laval TJ40G Rotary Jet Head - a tank cleaning machine that provides exceptional cleanability and end-product quality while minimizing the risk of contamination. It is designed to optimize your water and chemical savings.
• Alfa Laval Brew 701 - the only high-capacity fully-hermetic bottom-feed solution for optimum pre-clarification and polishing of beer. It offers you high-yield yet gentle treatment, with a highly energy-efficient and trouble-free operation.
• Alfa Laval Foodec decanter - ideal for improving production yield throughout the brewing process, from wort recovery and waste water treatment to dewatering of spent grain and yeast.
• Alfa Laval Iso-Mix - Rotary jet mixers are well proven to optimize beer fermentation and are also used for blending and beverage-syrup preparation. A special version can also handle dry hopping. This system improves quality and reduces mixing time, energy consumption and costs.
• Alfa Laval Hybrid Powder Mixer - Ideal for the dissolving of powders such as sweeteners or stabilizers in beverage production. Features two pumps with a shared drive, eliminating the need for additional pumps.
• Comprehensive service videos covering the entire range of products offered by Alfa Laval, from valves and pumps to heat exchangers and tack cleaning equipment.

Trade show highlights

Held every four years in Munich, Drinktec 2017 attracted over 75,000 visitors from more than 170 countries, breaking all previous attendance records and reinforcing its standing as 'World's Leading Trade Fair for Beverage and Liquid Food Technology'.

For Alfa Laval, preliminary results after the exhibition show a high level of qualified leads were generated, along with intense coverage by local and international media, many of them joining the press breakfast organized by Alfa Laval.

About Alfa Laval

Alfa Laval is a leading global provider of specialized products and engineering solutions based on its key technologies of heat transfer, separation and fluid handling.

The company's equipment, systems and services are dedicated to assisting customers in optimizing the performance of their processes. The solutions help them to heat, cool, separate and transport products in industries that produce food and beverages, chemicals and petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, starch, sugar and ethanol.

Alfa Laval's products are also used in power plants, aboard ships, oil and gas exploration, in the mechanical engineering industry, in the mining industry and for wastewater treatment, as well as for comfort climate and refrigeration applications.

Alfa Laval's worldwide organization works closely with customers in nearly 100 countries to help them stay ahead in the global arena. Alfa Laval is listed on Nasdaq OMX, and, in 2016, posted annual sales of about SEK 35.6 billion (approx. 3.77 billion Euros). The company has about 17 000 employees.