Arla to build new innovation center
Part of Arla Foods Ingredients, the new center will be home to scientists and innovators who will discover and deliver new ways of using milk and whey to serve the needs of the world’s growing population.
Arla opened the Arla Innovation Centre (AIC) in Skejby, Denmark last year, and the new €36.3m ($42.4m) investment will create a hub for research and development innovation within whey and milk-based ingredients. The new 9,000 square-meter facility, which will employ up to 90 people, is expected to open in 2021.
New solutions
Arla Foods’ CEO Peder Tuborgh, said, “The world’s population is growing, which increases the need for healthy and sustainable food. It is a big challenge, and in Arla we want to be part of the solution.
“We know that dairy nutrition can play an important role in securing a healthy and balanced diet for people across the world, and with this innovation center we will use cutting edge research and technology to explore milk and whey to their full potential as ingredients for a wide range of nutrition.”
Henrik Andersen, group vice president of Arla Foods Ingredients, said, “Our customers are always looking for new solutions to adapt to changing consumer demands. Our focus is to explore all the components in the milk and whey and combine them to enhance the nutritional or functional value of a product.
“Together with our customers, we will explore this even further in our new innovation centre to help them develop new products that meet the specific nutritional needs of children, athletes, patients and consumers.”
Increased job opportunities
The new center will be located in Nr. Vium, Denmark, close to Arla Foods Ingredients’ largest production site, Danmark Protein, creating an environment for process development and pilot production. At the facility, scientists, technicians and innovators will cover all aspects of research and development within whey and milk – from advanced separation technologies to isolate specific components of the whey or milk, to heat treatment and pasteurization technology to improve functionality and shelf-life.
At the moment, approximately 70 scientists, technicians and engineers working on innovation at AFI, but according to Andersen, the new innovation center will provide more opportunities.
“It is our ambition to continue to attract the very best caliber of colleagues that share our mission of discovering and delivering all the wonders whey can bring to people’s lives. This will be an exciting place to work with the most challenging development projects in the dairy industry.”
