AVEKA Group, Inc., a contract manufacturing and research & development company based out of Woodbury, Minnesota, has recently started construction on a large-scale expansion to its AVEKA Nutra Processing (ANP) facility in Waukon, Iowa. Originally started in 2011, the Waukon plant specializes in processing food, beverage, and nutraceutical products for AVEKA’s wide range of clients.

Five facilities and over 25 years of operation later, AVEKA was again feeling the strain of increased demand for its specialty milling, drying, blending, and classifying services. One particular service that was seeing an especially high area of growth was large scale spray drying. Having nearly reached their maximum spray drying capacity, the company knew it needed to continue to expand its production capacity—and that meant expanding one of its facilities as well.

After a lengthy search process, a used commercial spray dryer (Dahmes Stainless, Inc. (DSI)) was found in excellent condition in Kentucky. This dryer was then brought to Waukon, joining the two other tower dryers currently in use at the ANP facility.

In order to properly house the large new dryer, as well as additional equipment and material storage, a multi-million dollar, multi-stage expansion to the Waukon facility would be required. DSI was hired to oversee the construction of the entire project, as well as the installation of the spray dryer itself, due to their extensive knowledge of their first-party systems.

AVEKA Continues to Grow with Additions to its AVEKA Nutra Processing Facility in Waukon, IA

The scope of work includes:
-A 30 x 35 ft. addition to the main plant, featuring a 75 ft. tall, multi-level dryer tower section
-Construction of a one-story, 15 x 50 ft. liquid processing area
-A 60 x 100 ft. warehouse space
-Two new 25,000-gallon liquid storage silos
-Installation of the DSI spray dryer

Construction crews initially broke ground on the project back on November 1st of 2019. Barring any setbacks, the expected completion date is July 1st, 2020.

AVEKA Continues to Grow with Additions to its AVEKA Nutra Processing Facility in Waukon, IA
Concrete being poured for the dryer bottom level – April 15, 2020.

Once complete, the new expansion will increase ANP’s drying capacity by over 25%, adding 1,500 pounds per hour of capacity. It will also greatly expand their food grade liquid processing capabilities, opening the door to a much larger variety of food grade products and new clients.

In addition, this expansion also means that AVEKA will be able to bring on a potential of six new team members. Spray dryer operators and other support staff will be required to oversee the new production around the clock, as is typical of all AVEKA operations.

If your business is in need of spray drying or any other particle processing services, then AVEKA has a solution for you. From lab-scale samples to tanker truck quantities, they can provide toll manufacturing and contract R&D for a broad spectrum of industries. Contact AVEKA today and they’ll help you find a creative and personalized answer to your engineered particle questions.