In milk processing, precision, hygiene, and process reliability are essential—even under challenging conditions such as limited space, foaming, condensation, or varying cleaning procedures. The Barmstedt Dairy demonstrates how these requirements can be met in practice using Endress+Hauser’s Compact Line: through compact, easy-to-use, and standardized measurement technology that integrates seamlessly into existing processes.
At Meierei Barmstedt eG, Schleswig-Holstein’s largest independent dairy company, industrial efficiency meets the highest hygiene standards. At its two locations in Barmstedt and Neumünster, the company processes several million liters of raw milk every day into a wide range of high-quality food products, from sliced cheese and mozzarella to butter, whey powder and whey products.
Precise measurement technology is essential to ensure that production processes run smoothly and efficiently: It regulates the fill level in storage tanks, monitors the pressure in pipelines, detects level limits in intermediate tanks and provides the data required for automated cleaning processes. It is also a key factor in food safety, energy efficiency and compliance with legal requirements – from traceability to hygiene standards.
To meet the growing demands for precision and process reliability, Meierei Barmstedt sought measurement technology that would operate reliably even under challenging conditions, such as in tight installation spaces, high humidity or heavy foaming. It is precisely these factors that have not only made installation and commissioning difficult, but have also compromised the stability and accuracy of the measured values. The effort required for manual checks increased, as did maintenance costs and with them, the risk of process interruptions.
A compact, systematic solution
Endress+Hauser, a specialist in measurement technology, has developed the Compact Line, a new generation of instruments designed specifically to meet the needs of the food and beverage industry. “With the Compact Line, we now have a solution that allows us to obtain reliable measurements, even when foam forms, and ensures stable readings even on turbulent surfaces,” says Hinrich Köhncke, Technical Project Manager at Meierei Barmstedt.
Three devices are used: the Micropilot FMR43 for non-contact radar level measurement, the Liquiphant FTL43 for reliable low-level detection and the Cerabar PMP43 for precise measurement of pressure and hydrostatic levels. All three sensors are compact, feature a hygienic design and are designed for CIP and SIP cleaning at high temperatures. EHEDG and 3-A certifications, along with full traceability of all materials that come into contact with the process, ensure that they meet the industry’s strict requirements.
Compact sensors, consistent operation and flexible integration
Space is limited in many areas of the Barmstedt Dairy: Pipes run close together, tanks are arranged in tight rows and control components must fit into existing control cabinets. This is exactly where the Compact Line really shines. Their sensors are so compact that they can be integrated even into the smallest installation spaces—often without any additional modifications. It is about the size of a smartphone.
The Micropilot FMR43 has been in use in various milk storage tanks for several months now. Using its 180 GHz technology, it measures the fill level with a particularly narrow radar beam. This makes it suitable for tight process connections as well. It provides stable readings even in small tanks as small as 10 centimeters, all the way up to tanks 15 meters tall, or in cases of agitated or turbulent surfaces.
It is complemented by the Liquiphant FTL43, which features proven Vibronik technology. It operates reliably with all pumpable liquids, without the need for media matching and stands out for its ease of use, plug-and-play functionality and a wide range of digital communication options. It is ideal for level detection in process and storage tanks as well as in piping and covers a wide range of hygienic applications, including level measurement in narrow skids and modules, dry-run protection for pumps, overfill protection in process tanks and the detection of media with varying densities.
The Cerabar PMP43 monitors the pressure in tanks, pipes and pumps. Not only does it monitor process safety during operation, but its precise measurements also protect the system components from overpressure. The Cerabar plays a key role in CIP processes and ensures consistent cleaning quality.
In their day-to-day work, employees in Barmstedt also benefit greatly from the standardized operating procedures: All devices in the Compact Line whether for level, pressure or limit detection, are operated in the same way. This reduces the likelihood of errors, especially during shift work with rotating teams. Whether directly on the device via the color display or via Bluetooth® using the SmartBlue app: The sensors guide you step by step through the setup process in a way that’s easy to understand, even without any special knowledge.
Last but not least, the Compact Line was able to be integrated without requiring major changes to the existing infrastructure. The sensors support both 4–20 mA and digital protocols such as HART or IO-Link . At the Barmstedt dairy, they were connected directly to the existing control system, no retrofits or system modifications were necessary. This accelerated the rollout and minimized the effort required for installation and training.
Heartbeat Technology in action
During operation, system administrators also benefit from the integrated Heartbeat Technology. This allows all sensors to be checked regularly: automatically, with docu-mentation and without removal. At the Barmstedt dairy, this verification takes less than three minutes. The generated reports can be used directly for internal quality documentation or external audits. In addition, the Heartbeat function provides indications of changing process conditions, such as foam formation or biofilm growth, information that can be used to optimize maintenance intervals and cleaning strategies.
A win for energy efficiency and sustainability
In addition to process reliability and hygiene, energy efficiency also plays a key role at the Barmstedt dairy as it is an integral part of the production strategy. The precise measurement data from the Compact Line provides the foundation for making energy flows transparent and optimizing them in a targeted manner. In this way, the technology makes an important contribution to the company‘s commitment to sustainability. “Precision is an essential component of our measurement technology, which is why we consider the measured value accurate to the tenth decimal place,” says Hinrich Köhncke.
By Yannick Mangold, Endress+Hauser
