44 JUNE 2018
Maori-owned Miraka
is well established
in the New Zealand
dairy processing
industry, with strong
values founded on the cultural beliefs
of its owners. Located in Mokai in
the Waikato, the company is unique
within the dairy industry, with its milk
supply sourced from 107 local farms
within an 85km radius of the factory
delivering a farm-fresh advantage
and superior quality products with
a global reach to more than 23
countries. Miraka uses sustainable
and renewable geothermal energy
and state-of-the-art manufacturing
processes, resulting in the power
and capacity to process more
than 250 million litres of milk into
powders and UHT products every
year. Meeting increasingly stringent
consumer and regulatory demands
is a continual challenge for all dairy
manufacturers. Complex challenges
such as consumer demand, product
specifications, regulatory compliance
and fluctuating costs place strategic
importance on continually improving
performance and profitability.
With a strong commitment to
continuous improvement of current
manufacturing assets, Miraka
invested in a solution to optimise its
milk powder process. Capacity was
maximised by driving to process
constraints, and yield was optimised
through improved targeting and
reduction of variability of milk powder
moisture, protein and fat. The
evaporator solids and drying profile
was balanced to reduce energy
consumption.
Raw milk is collected from dairy
MIGHTY
MIRAKA
When unique Waikato dairy
processing company Miraka
wanted to optimise its milk
powder process, it used a
high level of key stakeholder
engagement to facilitate a
fast-paced and successful
implementation.