Optimization in spray drying starts with understanding

On a rainy day, somewhere in a dairy plant, an operator watches a screen. Outside, humidity rises. Inside, it slowly begins to affect the spray dryer, one of the most complex and energy-intensive processes in food production. But the change is subtle. Easy to miss. And by the time it becomes visible, the process may already be drifting off course.

For decades, this has been the reality of powder production: a constant balancing act, dependent on human attention, experience, and timing. Today, that balance is shifting. With OptiPartner® Dairy Powder, GEA is helping producers move from reactive control to predictive performance, transforming how spray drying is managed, optimized and sustained. Because in a world that demands more food, more efficiency, and fewer resources, every second and every parameter counts.

The invisible complexity of powder

At first glance, spray drying seems straightforward: liquid in, powder out. But inside the towering drying chamber, a complex interplay unfolds. Temperature, airflow, humidity, feed rates, and product characteristics must align perfectly. Push too hard, and product quality suffers. Play it too safe, and efficiency drops.

“Many can run a spray dryer,” says Signe Munch, GEA’s Product Manager for OptiPartner. “The real challenge in running a spray dryer is knowing how far you can push your equipment, how efficient you can be without compromising product quality and how to avoid deposits or blockages.” This challenge is becoming more urgent. Producers are under pressure to reduce energy consumption, improve yield and maintain consistent quality, all while dealing with labor shortages and increasing operational complexity. At the same time, experienced operators are becoming harder to find. Valuable process knowledge, once built over years on the job, is increasingly difficult to retain.

“Many can run a spray dryer. The real difference is how far you can push your equipment, how efficient you can be without compromising product quality.”

Signe Munch

GEA's Product Manager for OptiPartner

Experience meets intelligence

OptiPartner® Dairy Powder addresses this challenge by embedding expertise directly into the process. At its core, the system acts like an autopilot for spray drying. Every few seconds, it analyzes plant data, predicts how conditions will evolve, and adjusts parameters accordingly. Not in large steps, but in constant, precise micro-adjustments, keeping the process stable and optimized at all times.

But what makes the difference is not just speed. It is understanding. Unlike conventional systems that rely purely on historical data, OptiPartner® uses a hybrid “grey box” model, combining physics-based knowledge with real-time data. This allows it to model both the behavior of spray dryers in general and how each individual plant performs in reality.

“Because GEA designs and builds spray dryers, this knowledge is not theoretical. It is grounded in decades of engineering experience and translated into digital intelligence that works in real time.” The impact is measurable: up to 80% more production stability, up to 10% increases in capacity, and similar gains in energy efficiency. As one of GEA’s most resource-efficient solutions, GEA OptiPartner® carries the Add Better Label, in accordance with ISO 14021.

“The difficult part is not drawing a curve; it’s knowing where to place it. Because GEA designs and builds spray dryers, this knowledge is not theoretical. It is grounded in decades of engineering experience and translated into digital intelligence that works in real time.”

Signe Munch

GEA's Product Manager for OptiPartner

Finding the optimal operating point

In spray drying, the optimal operating point is rarely obvious. Run too hot, and energy is wasted. Run too cold, and powder can become sticky, leading to deposits, blockages, and costly shutdowns. Even small deviations can have significant consequences.

OptiPartner® Dairy Powder continuously navigates this narrow window. By stabilizing the process, it enables producers to operate closer to their true limits, without crossing them. The results are measurable: increased capacity, reduced energy consumption, and more consistent product quality.

It also unlocks a less visible but highly valuable optimization: moisture control. By keeping the process stable, producers can safely operate closer to maximum moisture limits without exceeding them. This increases yield without requiring additional raw materials. “It’s about staying just below the limit,” says Signe Munch. “If you can control variability, you can move closer to the optimum.”

Proof in practice: Michigan Milk Producers Association

At the Michigan Milk Producers Association (MMPA), these principles have already translated into real-world results. Faced with increasing complexity and the need for greater efficiency, the plant implemented OptiPartner® Dairy Powder to stabilize operations and improve performance. The outcome: significant improvements in production stability, energy efficiency, and overall plant performance.

More importantly, the system provided something less tangible but equally critical: confidence. With continuous monitoring and expert support, operators could rely on the system to maintain optimal conditions, allowing them to focus on higher-value tasks across the plant.

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Beyond software: a true performance partnership

What sets OptiPartner® Dairy Powder apart is how it controls the process, but also how it supports it over time. Traditional automation systems are often installed, calibrated, and then left to run. But spray drying is not static. Equipment evolves, upstream processes change, and conditions shift.

“A spray dryer is like an organism, it changes over time,” Signe Munch says. GEA Performance Care is an end-to-end service provided by GEA that addresses this reality by turning optimization into an ongoing service. Experts take on the full responsibility of OptiPartner® and continuously monitor performance, suggest improvements, and provide reports to the customer.

This transforms the relationship between supplier and customer. Instead of delivering a tool, GEA delivers a partnership. As one customer put it: “We were not looking for a software provider, we were looking for an engineering partner.”

Empowering people in a changing industry

In an industry facing increasing workforce challenges, this partnership extends beyond technology. OptiPartner® Dairy Powder does not replace operators; it supports them. By taking over repetitive monitoring and adjustment tasks, it frees operators to focus on areas where human expertise matters most: maintenance, troubleshooting, and overall plant optimization.

“The goal is to move operators out of the control room and into the plant, where they can focus on high-value tasks,” Signe Munch explains. This shift is particularly important as experienced operators retire and new talent enters the workforce. By embedding process knowledge into the system, OptiPartner® Dairy Powder helps ensure consistent performance, even as teams change.

Scaling impact across the industry

From smaller facilities to large-scale production plants, OptiPartner® Dairy Powder is designed to scale across a wide range of applications, from around 100 kilograms per hour to several tons per hour. It also extends beyond traditional dairy to plant-based and food powders, reflecting the broader transformation of the global food landscape. In every case, the goal remains the same: to help producers achieve more with less. Less energy. Less waste. Less variability.

Engineering for what comes next

The future of food production will be defined by efficiency, sustainability and resilience. Meeting that future requires more than better machines. It requires systems that can think ahead, adapt continuously, and integrate human expertise with digital intelligence.

OptiPartner® Dairy Powder represents that shift. It turns complexity into clarity. Variability into stability. And data into performance. And in doing so, it helps producers improve their operations while contributing to something larger: a more efficient, more sustainable way to feed the world.

Increased process stability and optimum performance

GEA OptiPartner combines GEA’s process know-how with operational expertise to optimize the productivity of spray drying plants for powder production. Based on highly efficient digital technologies, GEA OptiPartner increases capacity utilization and reduces energy consumption while continuously providing operators full visibility of the process.