GREEK YOGURT IN AUSTRALIA
Ensuring FASTER AND MORE PRECISE FILLING
WALDNER delivers almost
twice the production
volume coupled with lower
losses “Down Under” with
its DOSOMATS for yogurt
filling – now not just with
large handle tubs, but
also with plastic cups of
various sizes.
Creamy and healthy, natural yogurt is not just a trendy food in Europe and the USA, it is also extremely popular in Australia. It was not entirely unknown down there, since it arrived many years ago with European immigrants to Australia. The McLaren family took over the small Melbourne-based dairy farm over 35 years ago producing a natural, probiotic yogurt based on a traditional Greek recipe without additives. The company, now known as Jalna Dairy Foods, has achieved major success with its product on the Australian market. This natural yogurt continues maturing in the container after filling, since it is filled in liquid form, and the right specialized packaging machinery is required to do this.
The Waldner name first came into play in 2014 when Jalna
Dairy Foods was looking for high-output machinery with a
precise filling volume. The problem that Jalna was
experiencing was that too much yogurt was filling into
their containers, which equates to involuntary “product
give-away” and the losses built up. WALDNER carried out
initial filling tests with its DOSOMATS and the original
product. The first Jalna Dairy Foods product tested was a
2 kg handle tub. The clear goal was to be faster and more
precise than the previous machine. Waldner designed an
ultra-precise piston filler that achieved significantly higher metering precision, which resulted in happy, yet amazed faces among the Jalna project team at the factory acceptance tests in
Wangen.
Michael Finkenzeller, Sales at WALDNER GmbH
& Co. KG, who managed the project, explains:
“The servo technology coupled with the
Waldner design allows for a smooth draw of
the yogurt, allowing it to effortlessly move
through a special valve resulting in very
precise fill volume.”

Positive feedback leads to new orders
This is also guaranteed in day-to-day
production with the supplied DOSOMAT using
downstream belt control scales. The filling
volume is automatically adjusted, even
with minimal deviations in the filling weight, so
that no product is unnecessarily “given away”
and lost by over-filling. “The product loss is
almost zero,” explains Michael Finkenzeller
with pride. The machine was not just much
more accurate than Jalna Dairy Food’s
previous machine – it was also 3 times faster.
“Following commissioning of this initial 3-lane
machine, the feedback was so positive that we
received orders for two more additional major
lines over the next few years, for plastic tubs
containing 1 kg, 200 g and 500 g.”
More complex yet fast and accurate
For the new project, the machines required
were significantly larger, 6-lane and 8-lane
machines as well as more complex. The plastic
containers would also feature a plastic film
seal before the lidding is applied. In addition,
unlike the handle tubs, the plastic pots and their lids cannot be stacked. “This means that
the containers and lids are supplied as loose
bulk products and therefore as a first step,
need to be turned in the correct orientation for
the infeed,” explains Michael Finkenzeller. “We
solved this infeed task using appropriate
sorting centrifuges. A camera control of the
infeed to the DOSOMAT also helps to reject
any deformed empty pots.”
Immediate weighing Inline
There were some additional challenges: “The
output was also required to increase by a
factor of 2 to 3 compared to Jalna Dairy
Food’s existing machines. Waldner also
achieved this goal. It was immediately clear to
us that this did not just mean a higher speed,
but that so-called track-based inline weighing
would be necessary directly in the DOSOMAT.
Only by doing so would the automatic filling
weight control be capable of reacting as
quickly as possible.” reports Michael
Finkenzeller. “Naturally, we retained the
proven filling principle using ultra-accurate
servo-piston fillers with this machine.”
“The first DOSOMAT we purchased
saved 40 g of giveaway on a 2 kg
bucket which gave us a number of
extra pallets per batch of saleable
product. This enticed us to go on and
purchase a 2nd and 3rd machine from
WALDNER. We now produce more
buckets using 8 less operators over
the two shifts. All machines have seen
production come back into 1-1.5 shifts
from 2-2.5. They all have saved at
least 5 operators per day.“
Andrew Warton – Production Manager – Jalna Dairy Australia
Continuation only after inspection
WALDNER also integrated a custom film
sealing station with sealing support of the
plastic pot in the system itself. Michael
Finkenzeller explains: “This guarantees even
sealing pressure around the edge of the seal,
with this being controlled in a “squeezing station” directly following sealing. When the
pots are squeezed, the foil seal curves if the
pack is air-tight. In the event that no curve is
produced, this is detected by the relevant
sensors and the pack is rejected. Following
inline weighing and the addition of the
resealable lid, the finished packs are
transferred to the customer’s downstream
machines for labelling and final packaging.
These are some of the critical features that
separate Waldner from rival equipment
manufacturers.
Excellent reputation of DOSOMATS
“Jalna Dairy Foods emphasized several
additional factors that were important
considerations in their decision process,”
explains Michael Finkenzeller, “Waldner is well
known for their world class German
engineering and is highly respected as a
manufacturer of high performance, robust
machinery that is easy to operate, easy to
maintain and built to tolerate multiple shift
work. Waldner’s reputation for machinery that offers a very high level of hygienic design that
is so crucial for packaging dairy products is
second to none. All these points were critical
factors in the decision process.”
WALDNER’s services are also highly
appreciated. “Waldner’s service teams carried
out all commissioning work on site in
collaboration with our local representative
ESKO Australia. We also have the edge in
terms of reaction times for small or very
urgent service work, thanks to our
representative located in the immediate
vicinity of Jalna Dairy Foods. After all, our
responsibility to our customer does not end
with the delivery of the machine. We plan
routine service or software updates from our
head office in Wangen and perform them via
direct VPN connections to the machines,”
states Michael Finkenzeller, adding: “All three
of the lines supplied are successfully working
in production. Both Waldner as well as Jalna
Dairy Foods look forward to the ongoing
planned expansion of this cooperation over the
coming years.”

- Machines operate at very high (95%) OEE
- Ultra-precise filling accuracy with almost zero product loss, minimizing "product give-away”
- State of the art drive systems, variety of dosing & closing systems
- Excellent sales, service & parts support
- More than 3,000 DOSOMATS delivered worldwide