Behind the scenes of Fonterra’s winter shut
As the milk tankers pause and the chill of winter settles in, Fonterra’s manufacturing sites across New Zealand switch gears for a different kind of season.
Over the next two to three months, more than $64 million will be invested in critical maintenance and upgrades across the Co-op’s 22 New Zealand-based manufacturing sites.
This annual Winter Shut is one of Fonterra’s largest and most complex operations. It allows teams to carry out deep cleaning, servicing, and thorough equipment inspections – ensuring every asset is in peak condition to process the more than 16 billion litres of milk that flows through the Co-op's network each year.
To sustain and grow these production levels, equipment must be maintained to the highest standards. Winter maintenance is all about getting off to a good start for the next season. It’s an opportunity to set up the Co-op's assets so they can run at maximum efficiency without unforeseen downtime – which can otherwise result in costly production losses.
Aaron Goldsbury, Fonterra’s Global Engineering Chief Engineer, knows just how much goes into making this all run smoothly.
“It’s a substantial volume of work,” says Aaron. “This season we’re aiming to complete more than 23,000 maintenance tasks and general servicing across over 165,000 site assets. It’s a massive effort involving careful coordination between our engineering, operations and contractor teams. Planning for this begins months in advance so we can hit the ground running.”
To deliver on this effort, over 1,600 Fonterra employees and more than 640 vendors – ranging from large firms to local specialists – will join forces to carry out the work.
Before any maintenance begins, safety reviews ensure all equipment is properly shut down and safe to work on. This year, the Co-op's rollout of a new ePermit System is enhancing on-site security with the new digital tool streamlining permit and safety checks, adding another layer of protection for both people and equipment.
This season we’re aiming to complete more than 23,000 maintenance tasks and general servicing across over 165,000 site assets. It’s a massive effort involving careful coordination between our engineering, operations and contractor teams.
“Every step we take – from pre-start reviews to rolling out digital permits – is focused on creating the safest, most productive environment possible,” says Aaron. “We owe that to our teams, our Co-op, and ultimately, to our farmer owners. Doing the job safely, and doing it right, sets us up for a strong, successful new season.”
Fonterra’s Takaka site has seen a significant uplift in activity during this year’s winter shut, with a key focus around maintenance and capital investment. This includes upgrades to safety systems and site security, while sustainability also remains a priority, with actions underway to reduce energy consumption and improve water uptake reliability. A key project this period has been initiatives around enhancing cream quality which aims to improve on-site cream processing and storage.
In response to recent weather disruptions and road closures in the Tasman region, the Takaka site is installing two new cream silos to enhance storage conditions and provide greater flexibility in managing transport challenges the weather brings, meaning the site is better equipped to maintain product quality and continuity, even in the face of logistical disruptions.
Down country, at Fonterra’s Edendale site, the team are preparing to replace two coal-fired boilers with electrode boilers – a major step toward reducing emissions across both the site and wider Co-op. With demolition of the old boilers set to begin in early October, and to run in parallel with the new boiler builds, the team is making use of the winter shut period to relocate staff from the old cheese lab building to new temporary spaces.
Alongside removing outdated infrastructure, existing areas will be cleared and repurposed for the new boiler water treatment equipment. Planning and site activity will continue through the coming season and into the next winter shut.