Silo success stories

Dairy Foods, Dec, 1991

As noted in the pages of past issues of Dairy Foods magazine, Tillamook County Creamery Association, Tillamook, Ore., has one of the most automated cheesemaking facilities in the country. Overlooked in these past issues were some of the basic, yet necessary, elements of cheesemaking and dairy product processing in general - namely, silos.

Tillamook handles 420 million pounds of milk per year, turning it into more than 35 million pounds of cheese, as well as butter and ice cream. The plant has greatly expanded its cheesemaking operations over the last 10 years, prompting the purchase of a number of tanks and silos, including 11 Mueller silos and storage tanks. According to Plant Engineer Jim Spindler, Springfield, Mo.-based Mueller has been able to produce to Tillamook's individual specifications at competitive prices.

The Model "SV"' silos used at Tillamook feature a flat-pitched bottom-cross brace, and are stud-welded and circumferentially banded for extra strength under capacity loads to prevent inner bottom movement. They are inner lined with type-304 stainless steel with large radius corners and a No. 4 finish for sanitation and cleaning ease. Other features include an insulated manway door with a product sampling valve, a CIP agitator system with a vented door, separate vent lines with screens, a fail-safe device for vacuum protection, a dial thermometer and a recording thermometer as well.

The vertical silo design allows maximum product storage in a minimum amount of plant space.

Although most of Tillamook's silos have been used in production service, three are used in water and energy conservation processes. For the last several years, the company has purchased almost exclusively Mueller tanks and silos.

Why did Tillamook choose Mueller?

"The quality of workmanship has always been excellent, delivery times have always been adequate, and pricing has always been good," says Ed Yates, production manager. "Our experience with Mueller has been good. Our pre-purchase technical questions have always been adequately answered. They have continuously supplied us with equipment we can always depend on."

Silo availability has also won respect with Tillamook personnel. "Mueller usually has had stock silos available at the time we ordered. We were given the option of getting a silo built exactly to our specifications or getting a stock silo," Spindler says. "We generally wait for a silo to be built, but we appreciate that stock stock silos are available when quick delivery is important to us."

Alto advantage

At Alto Dairy Cooperative, Waupun, Wis., Mueller equipment is also a common sight. Alto's Waupun facility manufactures 2.5 million pounds of American and mozzarella cheese and dry whey per day. The company has invested in eight 50,000-gallon milk silos since 1981.

"At the time of purchase, Alto did not have a 50,000-gallon silo. Mueller seemed to be the only company that had that capacity and promised to have good agitation," says Thomas Ebert, vice president.

Ebert found Mueller silos to be competitively priced, and, with 50,000-gallon tanks available, fewer silos were required to satisfy Alto's processing needs. That meant less building, less refrigeration, lower cleaning costs and fewer man hours spent cleaning.

"The silos have stood up good and are easy to maintain. They have performed to our expectations," Ebert says. Not surprising, considering Mueller calls its SV silos "the ultimate in liquid food product protection during storage." For nearly 50 years, the company has been designing and fabricating stainless steel processing equipment for the dairy and food industries. It offers equipment for heating, cooking, mixing, blending, cooling and storing. High-quality stainless steel is used to provide the performance, sanitation and reliability expected in the dairy processing industry.

"Our trust in Mueller has led us to purchase other process vessels and plate units from Mueller as well as the silos," Tillamook's Spindler says. He goes on to characterize the supplier as a provider of "quality, durability and value."

Additional features and options of the SV silos include a stainless steel alcove (opening into the processing area in external installations) containing all necessary controls except refrigeration; legs with or without adjustable feet; and ladders, catwalks and guardrails. Model SV Silos are available in 5,000- to 70,000-gallon capacities.