Founded in 2012, Interbos is one of the top dairy produc-ers in Vietnam. The company’s main facility in Hung Yen, near Hanoi, is specialized in premium dairy products, including crème desserts, fresh cheese and nutritious yoghurts. To provide the highest product quality possible, Interbos raises its own cattle and produces its own milk on several company-operated farms. The company also helps local farmers by sharing best practices for sustainable farming, and offers financial aid for farmers. While the dairy industry in Vietnam continues to grow1, many producers still face challenges when trying to bring

their products to market. As a result, few consumers have access to quality and safe dairy products, so the majority of baby food and desserts are imported from Europe.

A new chapterIn line with Interbos’ philosophy of delivering premium products to its customers, the company set its sights on breaking the mould for the traditional yoghurt packaging in the country. With the new aseptic filling and safe

Breaking the mouldBosch and Interbos join forces to bring high-quality dairy products

with extended shelf life to Vietnam

1 http://www.euromonitor.com/dairy-in-vietnam/report

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packaging the risk of quality loss and spoilage can now be avoided, especially during transport and storage without sufficient cooling. The production line consequently would need to allow Interbos to develop a formula that does not use artificial flavors or preservatives and still ex-tend the product’s shelf life for a minimum of six months outside of the cooling chain, despite the country’s humid and warm climate. Recognizing that many European equipment providers have had a great deal of expertise to offer in these important areas, Interbos started its search for a partner there. After considering several suppliers, the company selected Bosch Packaging Technology for the project, trusting that a well-known brand on the global market will deliver the same results to the Vietnamese dairy producer.

The quest for qualityBosch focused on developing a versatile solution: A pro-duction line centered around Bosch’s TFA 4818 aseptic thermoform, fill and seal machine which features a fully enclosed tunnel, eliminating the need to invest in a clean-room environment and did not require a large footprint. The machine allows the aseptic packaging of commercially sterile products for ambient temperature storage without the need for preservatives, retort processing or refrigera-tion. Consistently high product quality that meets FDA and VDMA standards is provided through high-precision cup wall-forming and the fully enclosed aseptic tunnel with continuous monitoring for over-pressurized sterile air. Machine sterility is also maintained during product changeovers and a series of safety features ensures the machine shuts off automatically in the event of an incident that may compromise a sterile environment.

Production can only continue upon completion of a sterilization program. “The experts from Bosch have supported us immensely during the development process,” says Tuan Khai, founder and general director at Interbos. “With two local techni-cians available, somebody was always there to provide immediate help.” To help prevent operator errors that could lead to contamination issues, Bosch integrated two precise, full-metal piston fillers capable of running maintenance-free for the first year. Ease of operation was also ensured through low overall maintenance require-ments and an intuitive HMI in Vietnamese. In addition, roll stock materials minimize storage space, ensuring cost-effective packaging and handling.

The start of a journey“With the first aseptic thermoform, fill and seal machine in Vietnam, we are able to provide high quality, fresh products with a shelf life of 12 months – double our initial requirement – on a single production line, without the need for a continuous cooling chain”, says Kai. “The new line has delivered everything we had hoped for: the product is well received by our customers and even other dairy producers were amazed of its high quality. But our journey has just begun. Now that we have a line capable of delivering to FDA and VDMA standards, we have the opportunity to produce much-needed new products, such as baby food, here in Vietnam in the future.”

For more information please contact:

Robert Fesl

Phone: +49 711 811 57229

E-mail: robert.fesl@bosch.com

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