Millerbernd Process Systems Showcases Universal Cheese System at Worldwide Food Expo

By Johanna Nelson, Cheese Market News

WINSTED, Minn. — With industry experience spanning nearly 80 years, Millerbernd Process Systems is showcasing one of its latest innovations — the Universal Cheese System — at this year’s Worldwide Food Expo (WWFE), Oct. 28-31 in Chicago.

Using revolutionary tower technology for cheese production including drainage for direct-fill of 640-pound blocks and barrels, the system was engineered for efficient floor space utilization, utility consumption savings improved production and overall cost reductions.

The system’s universal tower is comprised of a large vertical column, outer and inner drain sections and a block cutter/mill. It also features an optional curd crumbling device as well as buffering capacity.

The system’s vats are pumped into an innovative, in-line whey separation unit at the top of the tower. The curds are allowed in the tower and the whey is separated into a sweet whey tank. This first tower, or cheddaring tower, is designed to have up 90 minutes of threequarter- by-three-quarter inch milled curd.

After the curd is milled, it is discharged to an inline single pass salting system. This system is designed to take the weight of the curd rapidly moving across the scale portion of the conveyor. This value automatically adjusts the amount of salt that will be injected into the pneumatic conveying line prior to the rotary valve to accurately and evenly salt the cheese curds.

The salted cheese curds are pneumatically conveyed to the mellowing tower — the second tower in the system. The residence time in this column is up to 45 minutes. Rather than a mill section as in the cheddaring tower, the cheese is cut into slabs at the base of the mellowing tower and processed through a block crumbler. The curd at this point can be directly filled in 640s, barrels or fed to a curd distributor for supplying the 40-pound block formers.

Brad Millerbernd, president of Millerbernd Process Systems, says the system offers several advantages over traditional equipment. In particular, he says the capital cost of the equipment is less than other methods of processing. In addition, the vertical orientation of the equipment reduces the footprint of the equipment and minimizes the need for large additions to an existing plant. Millerbernd Systems Inc., a privately- held Minnesota corporation operating under three distinct trade names, was founded in 1933 in Winsted, Minn., by Carl Millerbernd. Each of the company’s three individual trade names do not operate autonomously, but share in all of the common overhead and facilities.

According to Millerbernd, Millerbernd Process Systems is the division that offers its engineering expertise and innovative equipment to the food and dairy industry. In particular, it provides a total solution approach to solving customer needs including engineering support, custom fabrication, system integration, field installation including piping, and complete plant and equipment automation utilizing current programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and leading-edge technology. The remaining two divisions include Millerbernd Laser, which serves the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) fabrication market in the upper Midwest, and Millerbernd Lighting, launched in 2005, specializes in the development and manufacture of custom, stainless steel lighting systems for industrial and architectural applications.

“Millerbernd has many years of cheese and dairy experience and much of that experience was gained by Millerbernd’s ability to connect with our customers and truly partner with them during the course of the project,” Millerbernd says. “This allows for a free exchange of ideas from both parties and often yields unexpected and innovative results.”

In fact, innovation is a key area of focus for the corporation, and Millerbernd notes his grandfather, Carl Millerbernd, was an early pioneer in the methods and practices needed to manufacture utilizing stainless steel. His work with stainless steel was primarily focused in providing equipment for Pure Milk Products Inc. of Winsted, Minn. After Pure Milk’s customer, Kraft Foods Inc., took notice of this work, a connection with the dairy industry was formed.

“Over the years we have developed numerous systems and custom equipment serving diverse industries,” Millerbernd says. “We pride ourselves in the ability to take an idea and bring it to fruition. We are focused on developing new technologies to help the dairy industry increase profits and production. This is exactly what the last five years of development has yielded in the Universal Cheese System.” CMN