Novonesis expands Wisconsin dairy production facility

Novonesis, a biosolutions company, has completed an expansion of its production facility in West Allis, Wisconsin. The company said the project is intended to support dairy innovation and manufacturing in North America after an increase in consumer demand.

The expansion has lifted fermentation capacity at the site by approximately 66%. Packaging capacity has increased by 17%. Novonesis said the additional capacity will support the production of biosolutions used by dairy customers.

The company also described the project as a way to prepare the facility for further development. Automation and robotics have been added alongside the existing infrastructure. The site uses energy-efficient equipment, a waste-heat recovery system and water-reuse systems.

West Allis began operating in 1929 and has supported Wisconsin’s dairy industry since then. The facility currently employs about 360 people, and Novonesis said the expansion will create additional jobs. Anders Lund, the company’s chief operating officer and executive vice-president, referred to Wisconsin as “America’s Dairyland” when describing the regional focus of the investment.

Theis Bacher, Novonesis’s senior vice-president for food and beverage in North America, said the facility had contributed to dairy innovation for nearly a century. He said the project would expand the company’s ability to provide biosolutions while adding investment in employees, manufacturing capacity and technology.

Lund said the investment represented a commitment to the West Allis community and to supplying cultures to customers in Wisconsin and other markets. John Umhoefer, executive director of the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association, said advanced dairy-manufacturing investments support the infrastructure used by cheesemakers, skilled employment and the state’s position in dairy production.