Junlebao Dairy to construct infant formula factory in China

Shijiazhuang Junlebao Dairy has selected Germany-based food technology firm GEA Group for the construction of its infant formula factory in China.

This follows a contract awarded to GEA in September last year to supply a large spray dryer for the manufacture of infant milk formula (IMF).

The new factory will have a production capacity of 6t per hour, with commercial production expected to begin in Q2 2020.

GEA Greater China dairy sales head Leon Han said: “We’ve worked very closely with Junlebao for years and it has been a real pleasure to see the success the plant we built for the company two years ago has had.

“The new plant will be the largest of its kind in China and we are delighted to be working with Junlebao again on this exciting project.”

As per the contract, GEA will be responsible for plant design, project execution, installation, commissioning and automation.

The new facility is a turnkey project for GEA that includes supplying wet mixing, evaporation, drying and downstream powder handling.

It will feature the GEA MSD-1600 multi-stage spray dryer, which is capable of combining spray and fluid-bed drying in a three-stage process.

The MSD drying tower is said to produce formula powders that meet customer specifications and achieves improved agglomeration.

A Junlebao Dairy spokesperson said: “During the building of the 2016 plant, we developed a very strong working relationship with GEA here in China. For this reason, GEA was the chosen partner for the new plant and we’re confident the project will be a success.”

Established in 1995, Junlebao is one of the largest dairy processing companies in China. It moved into the infant formula milk powder market in 2017.