Gemak Successfully Completes Revolutionary “Project Dragon” for South Caernarfon Creameries
On Monday, April 14, 2025, Gemak announced the successful completion of “Project Dragon” for South Caernarfon Creameries (SCC) in North Wales. This cutting-edge project marks a new era in the UK dairy industry, setting unprecedented standards in efficiency and environmental sustainability.
The Beginning of Project Dragon
SCC, the oldest and largest farmer-owned dairy co-operative in Wales, with 160 farmer members supplying locally sourced Welsh milk, produces over 20 varieties of high-quality Welsh and British cheeses. The co-operative embarked on a £15 million expansion plan, supported by a £5 million grant from the Welsh Government’s Food Business Investment Scheme, to increase its cheese production capacity from 15,000 tons to 23,000 tons annually. This investment aimed to strengthen SCC’s resilience and competitiveness in the global market.
Alan Wyn-Jones, Managing Director of SCC, stated, “After a thorough tendering process, Gemak was chosen due to their ability to integrate into our existing processes and systems, lead times, quality, and competitiveness.”
Gemak: A Leading Industry Player
Founded in 1986, Gemak is a renowned manufacturer and designer of top-of-the-line hygienic processing equipment and engineered solutions for the dairy, beverage, food, plant-based, and chemical sectors.
A Vision Brought to Life: Superior Technology and Sustainability
Gemak played a vital role in “Project Dragon.” In addition to leveraging its expertise in designing and manufacturing hygienic whey processing plants, the project also included a new milk and cream processing plant, storage silos, and a CIP unit for SCC’s existing cheese plant. The facility boasts a processing capacity of 600 tonnes per day of milk and whey concentrate, making it one of the most advanced dairy processing plants in the UK. This revolutionary technology not only ensures exceptional product quality but also streamlines processes, reduces energy consumption, minimizes carbon footprint, and optimizes resource utilization.
Kursat Uysal, Gemak UK’s representative, expressed the company’s excitement about the partnership: “We were proud and excited to have been chosen by SCC as their technology partner for this project and even more proud to have successfully completed and achieved KPIs. This milestone marks an important step for Gemak in entering the UK whey processing market.”
Pioneering Sustainable Accomplishments
Andrew Lyons from Engineer IQ, who led the process project management, stated, “The plant was designed to deliver optimal operational efficiency and sustainable solutions with stringent KPIs on waste levels, utility consumption, and operating costs.”
The completion of Project Dragon exceeded conventional targets, achieving remarkable sustainability milestones. Initially designed for net-zero water consumption on-site, the facility surpassed expectations, earning a “Net Zero Plus water” designation by generating over 100,000 liters of high-quality clean water daily, in addition to what is recovered and reused on-site.
Gemak also delivered a facility with the capacity to process whey at a rate of 30 tons per hour and produce whey concentrate from reverse osmosis (HIRO) with an unprecedented capability of 30% total solids, a first in the UK.
Delivering Tangible Results
The facility has demonstrated excellent performance in every set of KPIs, including:
– Continuous run time
– Yield recovery per liter of whey and milk
– Process accuracy
– Waste reduction
Alan Wyn-Jones expressed his satisfaction upon the project’s completion: “Completing this project has been both a challenging and rewarding experience. Gemak’s team demonstrated dedication and expertise, making the collaboration productive. Their hard work played a key role in achieving our goals. I appreciate their commitment and look forward to future collaborations.”
A Collaborative Success
The success of the project is a testament to the collaborative efforts of SCC, Gemak, and their partners. Gemak worked closely with industry leaders Alfa Laval, Schneider Electric, Tetra Pak, Grundfos, and Ematics to deliver a truly world-class facility.
Gemak acknowledges the contributions of Andrew Lyons and Richard Pettifor, who played crucial roles in process design, problem-solving, and execution.
Kursat Uysal also reflected on the project’s successful completion and commissioning: “We are delighted to have completed this monumental project despite the challenges along the way. Establishing one of the UK’s most advanced whey processing facilities, capable of producing whey concentrate with 30% total solid, is a milestone for the UK dairy industry and a source of immense pride for us.
I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to our valued client SCC, the dedicated Gemak team, and all our solution partners for their perseverance and commitment.
By exceeding our KPIs, this project has greatly contributed to sustainability and efficiency, and we believe it will pave the way for many more important projects. We eagerly
