With almost 2000 employees, Kraft Foods Nordic is the leading Nordic supplier of chocolate, snacks, food and coffee with brands like Freia, Marabou, Daim, Japp, Twist, Kraft and Philadelphia.
At the chocolate factory for Marabou, north of Stockholm in Sweden, confectionery products are being produced, stored and distributed to European customers. At the automated store 160,000 pallets are handled each year.
In 1984 a Munters desiccant dehumidifier was installed at Kraft’s automated chill store to prevent condensation issues,
- to avoid hygienic issues like mold, chocolate bloom
- to protect packaging against softening and
- to keep the product quality high during the entire storage period
The climate in the store is controlled and verified daily, keeping conditions strictly at +41°F(+5°C)/55%RH. Under these conditions the products keep their original quality and freshness, with no product waste due to humidity. Energy consumption is a key issue for Kraft. At their manufacturing facilities, great efforts are being made to reduce energy consumption, waste, emissions etc, in close cooperation with all employees and suppliers. A goal of reducing energy consumption by 35% over 3 years is now close to being fulfilled.
As a part of this plan all dehumidification systems at their factories were surveyed and energy efficiency improvements made. The 24 year old dehumidifier still worked, although after years of wear and tear the drying capacity was reduced, and in comparison to today’s dehumidifiers the energy consumption was high.
Munters replacement system provided considerably better energy efficiency than competitors and was chosen against other suppliers. Munters new dehumidifier was an obvious solution with its very low energy consumption and special desiccant wheel for optimized energy utilization. For further energy savings an external heat exchanger was part of the solution from Munters.
After a complicated dismantling of the old system which had very tight access limitations, the Munters unit was installed. Thanks to the sectional design of the dehumidifier, it was lifted into the building in sections and is now up and running . The new Munters dehumidifier now secures a controlled and constant climate in the store, with energy savings of minimum 32% compared to the running cost of the old dehumidifier.
Jonny Hagenbjörk, responsible for construction and energy at the Kraft chocolate factory for Marabou, says "To our great satisfaction Munters took care of all the details, from the difficult cut-up and removal of the old unit to completing all ductwork and power installation. That made life a lot easier for us to communicate with only one supplier. We now look forward to take advantages of the benefits of the dehumidifier and feel confident that our products will be perfectly preserved, just as the dehumidifier helps us meet hygienic demands, such as the HACCP regulations".
Storage of products in a chill store requires strict control of not only temperature but also relative humidity, as it is essential to avoid condensation, which affects the quality of the products and potentially creates hygiene issues like mold. The consequence of condensation can lead to expensive scrapping of products, collapsed packaging and problems in meeting HACCP requirements. By reducing the humidity with a Munters dehumidification system, the relative humidity can be constant, irregardless of outdoor deviations over the year.
With Munters’ new generation of energy efficient desiccant dehumidifiers, food manufacturers are able to provide optimum protection of products.
Munters creates energy efficient climate conditions for food products during transportation, production and storage, while securing consistent quality, cost savings and higher throughput. For more information visit the Munters Food Industry Page.