Breaking the mould

Founded in 2012, INTERBOS is one of the top dairy producers 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, The company raises its own cattle and produces its own milk on several company-operated farms. INTERBOS also helps local farmers by sharing best practices for feeding, correct nutrition and sustainable farming, and offers financial aid for micro farming.

While the dairy industry in Vietnam continues to grow, 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 chapter

In 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 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 extend the product’s shelf life for a minimum of six months outside of the cooling chain. It also needed to ensure the desserts and yoghurts would be protected from the country’s warm summers, especially when the temperature exceeded 45 degrees with high humidity.

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 quality

Bosch focused on developing a versatile solution that would allow production of the desired product formula while maximizing product safety and keeping costs in check. The end results was a production 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 cleanroom 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 refrigeration. 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. “Bosch arranged for us to have access to two local technicians who enabled quick assistance. We were impressed that 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 requirements 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 long shelf life on a single production line,” says Khai. “We have the flexibility to produce a variety of low acid and neutral products such as crème desserts with single or double layers, fresh cheese, yoghurts with fruit on the top or the bottom, or mixed yoghurts. With aseptic processing, we are able to achieve a shelf life of twelve months – double our initial requirement – without the need for a continuous cooling chain.”

Khai continues, “The new machine has delivered everything we had hoped for: the product is well received by our customers and even other dairy producers were amazed with the product and 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.”

Aleksey Kokotov
General Manager (GEER/GM)
Tel.1 +7 8482 930 007
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