To meet increasing market requirements for live bacteria used in probiotics and silage inoculant applications, Lallemand Animal Nutrition says it has completed the extension of its UK based bacteria production facility in Malvern, Worcestershire, England.
Lallemand Animal Nutrition operates two bacteria production plants in the world, the one in Malvern and another facility in Milwaukee, in the US. Both plants serve the global market.
The upgrade to the facility, said the producer, has resulted in a 150% increase in fermentation capacity, among other production efficiencies.
In addition, the enhancement enables more sustainable production as the company’s energy bill is reduced, said the probiotics player.
Jonathan Wiffen, operations director for Lallemand Animal Nutrition, said the plant extension plan was a great opportunity for the company to modernize and improve the facility.
“Freeze-drying and fermentation are delicate and energy-intensive processes — but are required to ensure the optimal quality and shelf life of our live bacterial products. Replacing all of our aged freeze-driers and optimizing the full production process has allowed us to reduce our energy consumption by 20%.”
Gary Cartwright, Malvern plant manager, said the packaging and labelling line at the facility has now doubled in capacity and is becoming more automated, which, he said, also contributes to increased efficiency. “We can ensure we meet our customer needs in a more sustainable way.”
Impact on finished product prices
The live bacteria produced in the UK factory are included in Lallemand Animal Nutrition’s probiotic, Bactocell, and in the silage inoculants under the Magniva range, as well as in its animal environment products such as ManurePro.
“This is a great achievement for our bacteria production as these energy savings and productivity improvements come at a right time to help cushion the current global increase in raw material and energy costs and will help limit the impact on finished product prices for our customers,” comment Yannig Le Treut, DVM, general manager, Lallemand Animal Nutrition.
