Yogyakarta, August 22, 2024 – The Department of Food and Agricultural Product Technology (TPHP), Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), recently held a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) as part of the Kampus Merdeka Competition Program (PKKM). This event aimed to broaden insights, align perceptions, and enhance lecturers’ skills in product development and production at the pilot scale.
Held on Tuesday, August 22, 2024, the event featured two experienced speakers in their respective fields: Ahmad Yama, S.T.P. (Head of Product Innovation and Development at Kalbe Nutritionals) and Ir. Rochmad Indrawanto, S.T.P., MM.T (Research & Innovation Senior Manager at PT Lautan Natural Krimerindo).
The first session was delivered by Mr. Ahmad Yama, presenting a topic titled “Pilot Plant Design.” In his presentation, Mr. Yama explained that product development is a key element in creating high-value, market-competitive products. This stage is crucial for scaling up production using consistent methods, facilitating large-scale production, and addressing potential challenges before an industrial-scale production system is established. The scale-up process also serves as an evaluation tool for lab-scale results, allowing for improvements and process development. Mr. Yama emphasized the importance of finalizing product characteristics during the lab-scale phase to avoid further modifications and reduce production costs.
Additionally, Mr. Yama highlighted several challenges commonly encountered during scale-up, such as differences in product characteristics between the pilot scale and lab or industrial scale, and the difficulty in ensuring consistent results across scales. He also emphasized the importance of analyzing both consumer trends and technological innovations during product design to ensure relevance and market sustainability.
The second speaker, Mr. Rochmad Indrawanto, delivered a presentation titled “Initiation and Preparation Before Creating a New Pilot Plant Scale.” Mr. Rochmad explained that a pilot plant is a facility used to conduct small-scale experiments before commencing large-scale production. Such a facility is essential for R&D/R&I teams to test formulations, technologies, and processes, as well as to gain insight into required parameters, equipment specifications, and economic evaluations.
Mr. Rochmad also discussed critical steps in establishing a pilot plant, such as understanding the processes and products, designing equipment specifications, selecting and procuring tools, and optimizing process development. In terms of sustainability, he emphasized that a pilot plant must be designed with environmental impact and safety in mind, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production.
Through this FGD, it is hoped that TPHP UGM lecturers will be better equipped to develop innovative, pilot-scale products that not only have high economic value but also contribute to achieving the SDGs.
Written by: Firstnandita Keisha