GEA Africa, part of international technology group and one of the largest suppliers of equipment and technology to process industries, GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft, is hosting its second BestPractice Seminar focused on the wine industry. The venue for this seminar is, appropriately, in a small town in the heart of South Africa’s wine industry, Worlseley in the Western Cape, approximately 90 kilometres northeast of Cape Town.

GEA’sBestPractice seminars address key, location-specific topics through detailed presentations by GEA thought leaders. This particular BestPractice seminar will create a platform for knowledge-sharing on equipment, processes and technology pertaining to the wine making industry.

“Many wine-growing estates and wineries are increasingly integrating mechanical separation technology into their wine production processes,” comments Jaco Coetzee, Market Development Engineer, GEA Africa. “This technology, if from GEA, enables them to increase efficiency and intensify their competitive advantage. GEA offers innovative processes and systems that can be used across a wide range of production stages while ensuring high quality and economy – from table wine to wines from specially selected grapes such as ‘Beerenauslese’.”

The Seminar includes presentations on ‘Multifunctional decanter in wineries’ part I and part II, presented by Frank Schauz, Business Line Beverage, Sales, and Angel Rubio-Domenech, Business Line Beverage, Technical Management, both of GEA Germany; ‘Separators in wineries’ by Christian Grothues, Business Line Beverage, Sales, GEA Germany; and a comprehensive discussion on GEA’s Services to the wine industry facilitated by Jaco Koekemoer, Services Manager, GEA Africa. Specific subjects pertaining to wineries and Process Engineering as well as Refrigeration Technologies also form part of the day’s knowledge sharing, while experience with GEAs gMaster CF 7000 on grape de-juicing will divulge practical application knowledge. Marvin Borkus and Jaco Coetzee, GEA Africa Sales Director and Market Development Engineer respectively, will explain the GEA group and position it in both a global and local perspective.

GEA supplies the winemaking industry with a range of separators and decanters, each of which can be tailored to suit clients’ specific requirements, and are aimed at reducing overheads while simultaneously increasing high quality production output.   Winemakers, cellar masters and company directors and other industry stalwarts attend the seminar and use the knowledge gained and networking opportunities to benefit their businesses. To expand its target market, students from various winemaking institutions in the Cape area have been invited for a special viewing of the gMaster CF 7000 and benefit from a Q&A with our specialists.

“Wine students are our future winemakers and cellar masters,” Coetzee points out, “and with information on GEAs top-of-the-range equipment, technology and processes so freely available we feel it important to include students in our discussions before they enter their full time careers. The long-term benefits will be mutually valuable.”

In addition to centrifugation with decanters and separators, GEA is also a specialist in membrane filtration with ceramic elements. GEA Westfalia Separator, therefore, represents the complete spectrum of mechanical separation technology.   Over and above the equipment and technology GEA supplies, the Group offers comprehensive service and support from its regional offices in Montague Gardens, Cape Town. “Our team of local specialists and service engineers provide fast response times and increased maintenance support, offering the best available processing techniques for this expanding market,” says Coetzee.

Through its global reach and resources, GEA adds value to new and existing processes by focusing on creating solutions for ‘environmental technology’. These solutions are based on reducing overall power consumption and economically-responsible production in order to optimise processes and, in so doing, lessen their environmental and financial impact.   GEA’s BestPractice Wine Seminar will be held at the Mountain Ridge Winery, Worlseley in the Western Cape on 06 May 2015. Registration begins at 08:30 and formal proceedings at shortly after 09:00, with the days formalities ending shortly after 17:00 followed by cocktails for networking and dinner at the Opstal Restaurant.

Enquiries:
Jaco Coetzee Market Development Engineer
GEA Mechanical Equipment GEA Westfalia Separator Group South Africa (Pty) Ltd
Phone +27 (0) 21 555-9000
Mobile +27 83-408-2577
email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
website: www.westfalia-sa.co.za