Hitting the sweet spot: Why JBT Marel is the favorite solutions provider for the evaporated milk canning industry

For market segments like evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk, JBT Marel solutions are adding a competitive edge for processors, covering applications from filling and closing through to sterilization and line integration technologies.

The global market for RTD dairy beverages in metal cans is large and continues to grow, driven by the growing standard of living in the developing countries in Asia, Central and Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa.

According to analyst Global Data, worldwide demand for evaporated milk is especially strong in Asia and Latin America, where the market is expected to grow by 2.14% and 1.44% per annum respectively over the next three years. 

Now the world’s leading supplier of filling, seaming and sterilization solutions for high quality RTD Dairy Beverages in Metal Cans, JBT Marel has been a major player in the evaporated milk segment since its very beginnings. In fact, JBT Marel (for a time operating under the FMC name) has supplied solutions to evaporated milk companies for more than 50 years.

To this day, JBT Marel remains the only supplier that can offer filling, seaming, sterilization, and line integration technology from a single source. JBT Marel also counts on global service and project management teams for smooth installation and start-up anywhere in the world.

Meeting global demand

In response to growing demand, several JBT Marel canning lines for RTD dairy beverages, which can run up to 1,500 cpm, have recently been installed and started production around the globe. Principally located in Asia, but also the Middle East and Central America, as well as a smaller number in North America and Europe, the lines are handling a wide range of products, from white milk and evaporated milk to RTD chocolate beverages. The metal cans being used comprise everything from plain standard to doubled necked, lithographed containers. “JBT Marel holds the title of ‘Supplier of the fastest canning line on the planet’ for several RTD dairy in cans applications, including evaporated milk since 2014, plain milk since 2016 and sweetened condensed milk since 2018,” says JBT Marel’s Sales Process & Special Projects Director, Bart Mertens.

“Line speeds we offer now range from 150 to 1,500 cpm for cans, with a trend – driven by global market leaders - towards higher speeds.”

Integrated, innovative solutions

JBT Marel’s integrated line capabilities include filling, seaming, and batch and continuous sterilization technologies, with recent developments focused on reducing energy and water consumption, as well as further minimizing product giveaway and increasing line efficiencies.

Solutions include the High Capacity Unifiller, a piece of technology engineered to provide food processors with the best quality and precision in filling. The system, which takes hygienic design to a new, higher level with a sloped base and improved Clean-in-Place (CIP), can handle 800-1,500 containers per minute.

Available with the Unifiller technology and capable of filling and closing round metal cans at speeds of up to 600 cpm, the JBT Marel TwinTec (pictured) provides perfect synchronization between filler and seamer.

Setting new standards in hygiene and food safety, the TwinTec can be used for any type of food, liquid dairy or non-carbonated beverage in cylindrical metal cans.

“At JBT Marel, we have a strong engineering, thermal process, service and project management team, with vast experience in the design, layout, manufacturing, installation, start-up, commissioning and hand-over of primary packaging lines for canned RTD dairy,” says Mertens.

To add to the options for customers, JBT Marel also offers access to a pilot plant and thermal process validation capabilities in Sint-Niklaas, Belgium and Madera, California.