GEA recently opened its new Petfood Experience Centre in Galliere Veneta, Italy. The role of the new centre is to drive innovation, while cooperating with customers and industry partners. It also aims to act as a means of sharing knwoledge and experience, to provide partners with technological support.
The new facility is next to the GEA Pavan headquarters, featuring a modern producrtion facility, home to 400 employees, and design and build production lines for pasta, snacks, cereals, extruded products and petfood.
High-tech equipment for product development
The new facility will have 30 employees, including process technicians, analysts and mechanics who will have access to a new pilot plant for developing products and a laboratory with chemical analysis and nutritional testing.
There will also be the latest technology for each process step, including the mixing and milling section which is equipped with a flour mixer, hammer mill and plansifter. The preparation section includes a GEA CutMaster which is designed to prepare meat emulsions in batches.
The new 1000 sqm facility is home to a team of 30 employees, including process technicians, analysts and mechanics who now have at their disposal a new pilot plant for developing new products as well as a laboratory equipped with diverse instruments for chemical, chemical-physical and rheological analysis and nutritional/organoleptic testing.
“Our long-term strategy and goal here, as it is for GEA globally, is to be the preferred partner of choice for customers worldwide,” Klaus Raths, Head of Strategy and Business Development for GEA, explained. “Our new Pet Food Experience Center is a place for learning: how to create and process new products, leverage new raw materials, create new recipe ideas – and ultimately, new ways to strengthen the position of our customers on the market.”
Interactive pet food workshops on offer
The centre offers a hands-on learning experience, such as learning about dry petfood extrusion-cooking technology, the main process requirements, operating and maintaining equipment, the role of digitalisation, and so on. It can also be used as a training ground for employees to learn about efficient processing and best practice, with the overall aim being to help employees learn to be efficient with petfood production process steps.
Technology solutions for modern dry petfood
Petfood customers are increasingly looking for products that reflect those available for humans, in terms of nutrition and production quality, but also the variety of food.
“Our philosophy is about working alongside our customers, supporting them in creating and developing innovative products, helping them define the formulation, form, consistency, weight, flavour and color of their particular product to ensure it satisfies the demands of end-consumers,” said Vanni Antonello, R&D Senior Technologist.
Developing kibbles, pillows and dental sticks
The size, shape and moisture content of each product is determined by the individual recipe, often including a large amount of fresh meat. Sophisticated twin screw extruders with their unique dough conditioners, ensure precision results and meet the highest standards requirements for pet food production while reducing costs significantly.
Pillows are snacks or tasty rewards for positive pet behaviour. Using extrusion-cooking technology, GEA combines grains with flavourful and nutritious filling based on the specific requirements. Dental sticks are designed and developed specifically to help dogs keep their teeth clean. Thanks to their unique shape, sticks are able to get into those hard-to-reach areas to clean teeth, which protects the pet’s health while providing them with the nutrients they need.
For more information, visit GEA’s website, HERE.
