Tech Ceylon Social Ventures recently undertook a visit to the Vavuniya Milk Processing Plant in Puthukulam, Vavuniya.

The Vavuniya Milk Processing Plant was established in 2008 with funds from international aid organisations such as Oxfam International, the UNDP, and the USAID. The plant is an impressive facility with an estimated processing capacity of 1500 liters per day. Aside from housing modern equipment, the plant also has its own advanced milk testing and quality control laboratory.

The processing plant, however, has been dormant since May 2015.

The objects of the visit were to provide (i) an independent assessment of the present state of the plant and the installed equipment, (ii) identify the underlying reasons why the machines stalled, and (iii) recommend repairs.

Equipment in need of repair

The Tech Ceylon team headed by Seralathan Sivasubramaniam, a mechanical engineer by profession, found that the plant suffers from several critical equipment failures – pasteurizer, cream separator, homogenizer, and incubator are all in need of repair or service. The pasteurizing unit, in particular, has faced recurring faults due to large quantities of calcium phosphate deposits formed during milk fouling.

Our team also reviewed relevant documentation and recommended suitable solutions to the above mentioned technical problems. Tech Ceylon will also assist the Vavuniya Milk Processing Plant management with staff training and technical consultancy as they look to revive production after a long break.