Niro
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| GEA Niro A/S | |
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| Type | Corporation |
| Founded | 1933 |
| Headquarters | Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Key people | Anders Wilhjelm (President) Michael Andersen (Executive VP, CFO) Kristian Skaarup (Executive VP) Niels Erik Olsen (Executive VP) |
| Industry | Process Engineering Spray drying |
| Products | Spray dryers Fluid bed dryers Others |
| Employees | 4500 (2007) |
| Website | http://www.niro.com/ |
Contents |
[edit] GEA Niro A/S
GEA Niro A/S is a Danish company that has been a part of the German GEA Group since 1993. Niro specializes in the development, design and engineering of liquid and powder processing equipment for the manufacture of products in powder, granular or agglomerate form. The GEA Group has specialised in process engineering, process equipment and plant engineering. Niro has supplied technology for many companies in the world for their production of dairy and food products, chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Some of these products are manufactured in a single plant, others in a fully engineered process line designed and installed by Niro in collaboration with leading suppliers of auxiliary equipment.
[edit] Company history
A/S Niro Atomizer was founded in 1933 by Johan Ernst Nyrop and specialised in industrial drying, with spray drying, freeze drying, and fluid bed processing as core technologies. In the 1990’s Niro dropped "Atomizer" from the company name and in 1993, the Niro Group was acquired by the German GEA Group and began to co-operate closely with other GEA companies specializing in process technology and engineering. A growing importance of controlling feed quality prior to drying brought Niro into the concentration business and falling film evaporators became part of the scope of supply, primarily within the dairy industry. This involvement in pre-treatment has since grown to include extraction and membrane filtration. The start of this period saw the two-stage drying concept introduced to the dairy industry. Spray drying technology was also applied to air pollution control in 1978. In 1989 the need to further develop particulate processing techniques led to Niro upgrading its fluid bed technology and introducing new equipment for blending, coating, pelletising, and de-dusting (to produce powdered, agglomerated or granular products of specific properties). During the 1990’s Niro formed the Niro Pharma Systems business unit in order to strengthen the presence of the Powder Technology Division in the pharmaceutical market. In 2002, Niro A/S acquired the activities of the Atlas Food Division from Atlas-Store Denmark A/S, specializing in the design and supply of freeze drying systems for food applications and vacuum systems for deodorizing edible oil.
[edit] Key business areas
Niro A/S daily operation is controlled through four main divisions: chemical, food and dairy, pharmaceutical and after Sales. Niro also has special activities within environmental engineering, where the core technologies of Niro are used in air pollution control and waste management. Niro’s plants are designed to abide by high performance standards and strict safety regulations.
The food and dairy industry
Serving the food and dairy industry continues to be a major component of Niro’s business activities. The food and dairy division supplies food and dairy equipment used to process a wide variety of products. Niro manufactures either individual plants, such as Evaporators, spray dryers, fluid bed dryers, extraction plants or freeze dryers or as combinations of these, alternatively as complete process-lines on a turnkey basis. Product applications have been within the industry segments of milk and whey products, carbohydrates, beverages, ingredients & flavours, protein foods, and fruit pulp and juices. Product applications include: baby food, coffee and tea, egg products, juice, fruits & tomatoes, milk products, starch, whey products etc.
The chemical industry
Niro produces chemical processing equipment, such as spray and fluid bed plants, that has the ability to handle any plant capacity requirement, irrespective of whether the product contains aqueous or organic volatiles, is toxic, or abrasive. Product applications include: ceramics, dyestuff & pigments, organic chemicals, polymers, detergent and air pollution control.
The pharmaceutical industry
For more than 70 years, Niro has supplied drying plants used to produce powders and particulates in the pharmaceutical industry. The pharmaceutical processing equipment includes low capacity dryers designed for specialist potent powders as well as industrial size plants for continuous operations performed under strict hygienic standards. Product applications include analgesics, antibiotics, enzymes, proteins, vaccines and vitamins.
Niro after sale
Niro A/S’ after sales department provides customers with plant services, process services and training services and components for plants after the plant has been delivered and installed.
[edit] Core Technologies
Spray Drying
Spray drying is widely used in industrial process for particle formation and drying. It is well suited to the continuous production of dry solids in powder, granulate or agglomerate particle form from liquid feedstocks. Feedstocks can include solutions, emulsions and pumpable suspensions.
Fluid bed drying
Niro supplies a wide range of batch and continuous fluid bed drying systems. Niro's fluid bed dryers process any particulate matter between 20 and 5000 microns, with source feeds that include dry or damp powders, filter cake or centrifuge cake.Niro supplies the following types of fluid bed drying: open fluid bed drying systems, closed cycle fluid bed drying systems, fluid bed spray granulation and rewet agglomeration.
Freeze drying
Freeze drying is used as a preservation method for a variety of food products and food ingredients. Niro A/S’ delivery programme includes plant sizes ranging from pilot scale to large industrial batches and continuous plants. Niro designs and delivers complete drying plants for the coffee industry.
