Alfa Laval, Richmond, Va., announced plans to transform its existing site in Søborg, northwest of Copenhagen, Denmark, to a food and water competence center.  

Over the next 1.5 years, Alfa Laval’s Søborg site will shift focus from manufacturing to sales, research and development and engineering and supply and establish a new testing facility.

The shift away from manufacturing means that by the end of 2017, Alfa Laval will move production of its ballast water treatment system—Alfa Laval PureBallast—to the existing facility in Aalborg, Denmark. The production of decanters will move to Alfa Laval's existing facility in Krakow, Poland, a transfer that is expected to be completed during the fourth quarter 2018. The changes are estimated to affect about 100 employees in Søborg.

“Alfa Laval has invested and built two important global competence and test centers in Denmark; in Kolding – hygienic fluid handling to the food and pharmaceutical industry, and recently in Aalborg – a unique test and training center for different products and applications to the marine industry. Based on the positive experiences and after a careful evaluation, Søborg was our first and natural choice for a food and water competence center," says Nish Patel, president of the food and water division. "Especially, as we have to consolidate our manufacturing footprint to fewer sites."

This move comes on the heels of Alfa Laval’s plans to restructure the company according to three initiatives.