A strategic project

The SILL GROUP, a family business from Brittany, which brings together a number of food SMEs, has more than 1400 employees at its eight production sites, including six in Brittany. Among the various types of work done (fruit juices, soups, ready meals), the firm is a leading player in the production of dairy produce and powdered baby milk. In order to maintain its position in the market and grow its business moving towards new horizons, particularly abroad, this food processing specialist wanted to have a new powdered baby milk production unit in addition to its current site, which has been up and running for more than forty years.

Full support from the design to the construction

Thanks to its know-how in the construction of major food factories and in particular powdered baby milk manufacturing, THEBAULT INGENIERIE made the most of its experience to come up in association with the SILL GROUP with a project satisfying all of its requirements. Its in-house design team used BIM to design the factory including all the different flows and areas of hygiene. This way of working made it easier to fully integrate the equipment into the factory. This detailed design phase established the basis for the THEBAULT INGENIERIE building teams, who were in charge of erecting this strategic industrial site.

19,000 m² dedicated to powdered baby milk production

This new production factory in Landivisiau with its drying tower will enable the SILL GROUP to increase its production capacity by almost 50% in comparison to its existing site. The link between the two sites will be integrated into the heart of the production process with the reception of milk, skimming and pasteurisation before the product is sent to the new factory. The skimmed milk will be stored in tanks, before being treated with the addition of several ingredients including vitamins. The mixture will then be concentrated using an evaporation system and transferred to the drying tower with its surface of 5240 m² on six levels, where it is transformed into milk powder. After temporary storage in a big bag where health and hygiene checks are carried out, the powdered baby milk will be packaged into 25 kg bags or 900 g boxes before being dispatched to the port of Brest to be sent to the final destination.

Already eight months of work done

The construction of this major building has been advancing steadily since the first sod was turned over last July. After a lot of bulldozing and earth-moving, the foundations were poured in and work began on the erection of the building. The tall concrete shell of the power unit is already almost finished. The concrete beams for the storage unit are gradually being put in place. The building is due to be handed over officially at the end of 2020 when production can begin. Before that, some parts will be made available early to allow the various pieces of equipment to be installed and tested. Ultimately, the factory will produce 20,000 tonnes of powdered baby milk each year.

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