IDM ¦ Technology/IT
Automated cheese production
Vorarlberg Milch contracted Dematic
In Austria, logistics automation technology
has been implemented at
Vorarlberg Milch eGen, one of the
country’s largest dairies. The cooperative
now relies on innovative
solutions from Dematic. During the expansion
of the Feldkirch production site
in Austria, the intralogistics specialist installed
a customized automated guided
vehicle (AGV) system, which has four
AGVs handling all transport activities between
the ripening rooms and the treating
machines. They are guided by the
integrated Dematic navigation software.
The "Ländle" – or the countryside –
between Arlberg and Lake Constance,
is traditionally associated with agriculture
and is primarily known for its alpine
milk. Almost 60 percent of all milk
products in the region are produced in
Vorarlberg, a federal state in Austria.
In total, the cooperative, established
over 70 years ago, currently processes
almost 66 million liters of milk annually.
Over 500 regional farmers supply
the Austrian dairy at its Feldkirch production
site with fresh milk daily. The
raw material is then processed on-site
under strict hygiene and quality guidelines.
Vorarlberger Bergkäse is a wellknown
and popular product; a driving
force for the entire economic region.
One of the greatest challenges in production
is guaranteeing a consistently
high quality at all times. The traditional
shift work of the past often resulted in
variations in this respect.
Today’s production, however, is often
automated. At Vorarlberg Milch,
the company recently installed an AGV
system from Dematic as part of a site
expansion. “We anticipate that our
productivity will be higher while still
producing superior end products. With
fewer manual operations, our error
rates should also drop,” explains Johannes
Wehinger, the technical manager
at Vorarlberg Milch eGen. Dematic’s
scope of supply included four
Dematic AGVs of type FLV 3317/CMM
which, thanks to automation, transport
the cheese between the loading
and unloading station, the ripening
rooms and the treating machines. Also
included in the overall solution package
is an E'nsor control unit along with
E'tricc control system software for traffic
control and transport management.
Automated recipe and
warehouse management
Not all cheese is the same. Each type
has its own special ingredients and
steps and is subject to different storage,
cooling and treating processes.
At Voralberg Milch, after maturing
for up to eight months, the loaves are
next immersed in a salt bath and then
drained onto a platter or board. From
there, they are transported to a ripening
rack by an AGV with a load capacity
of 1.7 metric tons and a lifting height
of 3,300 mm, or nearly 11 feet. They
are then given a barcode, which allows
them to be identified both by a barcode
reader on the automatic vehicle and by
One of the largest Austrian dairies, Vorarlberg Milch eGen, uses automation
technology from Dematic at its production site in Feldkirch. (Photo: Vorarlberg
Milch eGen)
22 · January/February 2021 ¦ international-dairy.com
/international-dairy.com
