GEA sets up decanter unit

Düsseldorf-headquartered GEA Group has set up a facility in Bangalore to expand its decanter manufacturing capacity.

GEA Westfalia Separator India, the Indian arm of the ^6-billion GEA Group, has a capacity of producing 250 decanters annually at its Bangalore factory at present.

With the expansion, GEA Westfalia Separator India will be able to meet demands from other market segments, including process customisations, said Ashok Narula, managing director.

The Bangalore unit has the capacity to produce decanters up to 350 mm diametre for environmental application.

Since 2006, the company has exported about 500 decanters worldwide from its Bangalore factory. Prototype decanter centrifuge UCD 205 was also developed at the facility. Inaugurating the facility, the mechanical equipment president, Markus Hullmann, said 2,500 applications GEA offers globally are now available in India. “We strongly feel the Indian Industry deserves the best in world-class technology,” he added.

GEA Westfalia Separator, which started with the production of milk separators that separate cream from milk, currently provides solutions to several industries with focus on food, pharma, and energy. In India, the company has presence in antibiotic projects, dairy, casein, naphtha treatment, vaccine projects, fruit juice, instant coffee and edible oil industry.

Initially, the company had restricted itself in the chemical, pharma and casein industry in India as competition was less. It has later spread wings in other areas as custom duties came down in specific areas.