An independent Ontario supplier of milk replacer has quadrupled its production space to meet growing demand for dairy animals across Canada and internationally.
Mapleview Agri Ltd.’s new facility outside of Palmerston opened in November.
“Realistically, we were at our capacity. This was our way of showing the industry that we are here, we’re excited about it and we want to invest in it,” said Aaron Keunen, vice-president of Mapleview Agri Ltd., a family-owned business. “And we believe that we’ll continue to grow.”
Why it matters: A reliable supply of milk replacer is important to the cow, goat and sheep sectors.
The new 40,000 sq. ft. facility’s automated line is run by six full-time employees, with a slightly smaller afternoon team tasked with cleanup. Keunen said the move did not result in layoffs.
“One thing with automation is you’ve got to make sure that you’re on top of maintenance, you’re on top of cleaning things,” Keunen said. “There’s a lot of photocells, sensors, things like that, that we need to make sure we clean every day.”
Mapleview has refined its process system since opening its first milk replacer manufacturing site in 2012.
Locally sourced ingredients
Keunen said they source skim milk products from local dairies and prioritize processors that use the same dryers to maintain product consistency.
“Product density can vary from spray dryer to spray dryer, depending on the technology they use, the heat they use, the throughput that they use,” he explained. “Once we know it’s consistent, we prioritize those (processors).”
Even though the new facility’s throughput is four times greater than the old plant, Keunen said its slow, oversized augers don’t create heat, even with the line running at four to six miles an hour.
“We use very few augers in the facility,” he explained. “They push a lot of product so that we’re not creating heat, we’re not creating friction, we’re not breaking fat bonds, we’re not breaking protein bonds. I think that’s a really important step.”
Accuracy and traceability
The mixers Mapleview uses provide pharmaceutical-level mixing down to even the finest ingredients, resulting in a one- to two-per cent coefficient variation, far lower than the industry standard.
“We could do a 750-kilo batch (at the old facility),” Keunen said. “Now we can get up to 1,500-kilo batches while still maintaining the accuracy.”
Keunen said being able to sample in-line and having an on-site lab is helpful from a quality-control perspective, with the first batch and composite samples being tested.
“We can test in-house … for fat, protein and moisture and we can also test ash, which is not so routine,” said Keunen.
The new line also includes a deaerator probe that removes air pockets from the powder and a heat sealer for bags.
In addition to prolonging shelf life, heat-sealing the inner bag, rather than sewing it, keeps air out and reduces the risk of fats turning rancid or the scent attracting rodents.
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