Internship feed whey valorizaton

When cheese is made, whey is released and becomes a valuable side stream. Cheese is produced within FrieslandCampina in 8 factories in the Netherlands. A large part of this whey is collected and reprocessed into high value products for human consumption, like infant nutrition. Some of this whey, particularly the whey of less quality from a later stage in the process, cannot be used for human consumption. This so-called low value feed whey is stored in a designated storage tanks and sold to animal feed traders. These traders sell the feed whey directly from the cheese factory to pig farms, as raw material in the ration of pigs.

FrieslandCampina currently sees the following challenges for the feed whey product flow:

• 100 trucks per week on our sites with 96% water, 4% dry matter with impact on:
• Safety situation on side
• Sustainability
• Cheese factories are mainly located in the north, the sales area (pig farms) are mainly in the south of the country. As a result, high transport costs (diesel, labour, congestion) that are disproportionate to the value of this product
• Sales market (pig farming) is shrinking / increasing pressure from the government

What We Ask

• Graduation student (WO or HBO)
• Study in direction of Supply Chain Management / Industrial Engineering
• Passion for production and logistics management
• Commercially obsessed

What We Offer

You will be included in the team to learn as much as possible about our valorization process. In addition, you will receive a workplace on location and you will receive an internship allowance.

Vacancy Description

Research question: How can FrieslandCampina continue to valorize the feed whey in a sustainable and long-term effective way? In this context, valorization means: adding value in any form whatsoever (not necessarily pig farming). In particular, what improvements in process and location management are suitable to make the feed whey flow more profitable?

Research objective:

• Mapping the current situation
• Research into other applications (technologically) and market segments
• Technical feasibility
• Logistical aspects (location and transport)
• Financial feasibility (business case)

Implementation plan:

• Obtaining and assessing (current) chain partners to realize this
• Strategic advice taking into account:
• Market developments
• Political developments in the field of regulation in the agricultural sector
• Market proposition
• Stakeholders (cheese factories, customers, sales market)