Development of a Dairy Manufacturing and Processing Solutions Tool for Farms and Value-Added Producers

Given mass consolidations in the dairy industry equipmentmanufacturers have focused on large-scale pasteurization solutions causing a lack of small-scaleequipment configurations - a key pain point for both small and large producers interested indeveloping new products such as small-batch specialty beverages that are high in demand.Atlantic Corporation proposes to develop an interactive spatial-visualization business planningtool called Dairy Manufacturing and Processing Solutions "DairyMAPS" to assist dairy operationsand processors of all sizes with early stage planning in creating expanded revenue streams throughthe development of niche dairy beverages using onsite small-scale Vat or high-temperature short- time (HTST) processing lines.Project Objectives. 1) Determine the optimal equipment and plant configuration requirements toefficiently process according to processor preferences raw milk volume and product profile. 2)Develop and test a prototype version of the web-based spatial planning tool.Description of Phase I Effort. DairyMAPS will generate proportional scale perspective drawingsdetailed equipment lists and specifications and associated costs to build and operate small-scalelines given user preferences. The prototype tool will be tested for key stakeholder input.Anticipated Results and Potential Commercial Application: A prototype version ofDairyMAPS for New England plants operating at volumes of 50 to 500 gallons per hour. In PhaseII Atlantic will further customize the tool based on user feedback and scale nationally impactingover 1370 dairy operations during the first four years. If successful small-scale processing willbe widely adopted resulting in larger selections of dairy products for consumers.