ANDRITZ Feed and Biofuel A/S-Denmark
Glentevej 5-7
6705 Esbjerg
Denmark
Established in 2009, Georgian company Nutrimax was founded on the need for more localised production of compound feed for livestock, which was not readily available for farms in Georgia and the surrounding region. As a result, the company was fulfilling an important market need, especially with the high-quality products it had developed in conjunction with nutritionists and veterinarians.
Driven by market demand and an ethos of continuous development, it then established its first high-tech production facility in the South Caucasus region in 2016. With an annual production capacity of approximately 85,000 tons, its feed mill supplies high-quality compound feed for farm animals and poultry, supporting both growth and efficiency in nearby agricultural operations.
Having spotted another market need and further opportunities to grow and develop, it opened its second European standard high-tech production facility in 2023, this time dedicated to the manufacture of extruded feed for companion animals (dogs and cats) and aquaculture – at the time, both food types were only available as imports.
Following the operational efficiencies and production excellence in its other plants, Nutrimax chose primary processing technologies, machinery and software from ANDRITZ to act as the beating heart of this new production operation.
Challange
Although Nutrimax already had experience with ANDRITZ solutions in other facilities, the new plant saw wider deployment of a broader range of technologies, along with the need to integrate it all into its new manufacturing execution system (MES) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) software suites.
It also had to consider the availability and skill levels of the local workforce; therefore, it required a solution that was not only powerful, but had to be easy to programme, operate and maintain, too.
Solution
According to George Mdinaradze, Project Manager & Head of Technological Development at Nutrimax: “We like to think of ourselves as pioneers, as this is the first large-scale production facility in Georgia for this type of product. We had already used machines from ANDRITZ in a previous application, so we knew of its pedigree in the market and the capabilities of its machines. We did investigate other suppliers, but for the key value-add processes we knew we needed the best possible performance and quality.”
Lars Bach, Sales Manager for East Europe at ANDRITZ Feed & Biofuel, explains: “We supplied the core technologies for the second half of the production operation, known as the wet stage. The machines we supplied included dosing mixers, extruders, coaters and driers. It was all standard equipment, which means it is well proven technology that is more than capable of addressing Nutrimax’s most demanding production requirements.”
The initial technology was always going to be the subject of an ANDRITZ Enhancement Programme, as market demands both grew and varied, but these enhancements took place far earlier than planned, due to market forces evolving more quickly. It included upgrades to the extrusion process to adapt it to fish feed production along with upgrades to the coaters, cooling systems and liquid line.
“We like to think of ourselves as pioneers, as this is the first large-scale production facility in Georgia for this type of product.”
“These were always part of the plan,” explains George Mdinaradze, “but the market accelerated elements of our upgrade path, allowing us to introduce new capabilities much earlier. We were hugely impressed with the fish-feed solution, which gives us high levels of flexibility to cater for many different fish species. We have other upgrades in the pipeline, too, including the ability to produce coloured petfood.”
Results
“The 25,000 tons per year plant is fully automated and operates under a SCADA control system provided by ANDRITZ,” George Mdinaradze continues, “which we consider to be one of the best systems we have worked with. It also oversees third-party equipment, so there is no need for additional software and HMIs. We believe this strong experience will form the basis for continued cooperation with ANDRITZ as we expand our operations into other countries.”
The Metris* software is a critical element of the turnkey package, due to its communication with the MES and ERP solutions. “The expansive capabilities of Metris* and its ability to integrate seamlessly with higher-level solutions meant that it did not impact or restrict our choice of enterprise packages,” George Mdinaradze explains. “It also acts as the foundation of our quality and traceability capabilities, which cover raw materials to bagged products. The enhanced quality system is a critical element of the programme going forwards, as we will be partnering with a leading European animal-nutrition company, to contract manufacture its products in the region.”
Lars Bach adds: “Nutrimax had a choice of suppliers but ultimately based its decision on the forward-looking bigger picture, which incorporates overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), total cost of ownership (TCO), a fully featured and properly structured support and enhancement programme, and the solid and proven reputation ANDRITZ and its machines have in this and many other markets.”
“We have a fantastic relationship with Lars and the ANDRITZ team,” George Mdinaradze concludes. “They are all friendly, highly skilled and very adaptable to different people, languages, cultures and job functions, which makes things so much easier.”
*Trademark of the ANDRITZ Group. For information regarding ownership and countries of registration, please visit https://www.andritz.com/group-en/trademarks
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