Baking&Snack - March 2017 - 111

OPERATIONS
Energy Solutions

To reap some energy savings, bakers just need to be looking in...

ALL THE RIGHT PLACES
by Charlotte Atchley

Energy - every bakery needs it to keep the lights on
and mixers, ovens and freezers running, but the cost
on the bottom line cannot be ignored. Not only does
reducing energy usage provide financial savings, but
it also can contribute to lessening a bakery's impact
on the environment and give the company a green
halo that consumers find attractive.
"From an historical perspective, these are the 'early
days' of energy reduction," said Margaret Ann Marsh,
director of sustainability, Flowers Foods, Thomasville,
GA. "To stay competitive with rising energy costs, it's
essential that we continue to find innovative ways to reduce energy consumption and improve efficiency. Not
only does energy reduction lower costs, but it also reduces the environmental impact on our communities."
With financial and marketing incentives, it makes
sense for bakeries to pursue ways to lower their energy
consumption, whether that's through equipment, operational strategies or finding all the hidden places where
energy is seeping out of the plant and correcting them.
Some points of waste are obvious, such as excess
lighting, the cost of start-up and shutdown, or the
immense energy inefficient equipment takes. Others
are less so, such as compressed air leaks. By taking a
look at these areas of a bakery's operations, bakers can
curb energy waste and the costs associated with them.

Looking for savings
When trying to cut energy consumption of a plant, it's
all in where you look. There are some obvious choices,
such as efficient lighting and equipment, but there can

be some places where waste is happening that aren't
immediately clear. Finding those is a matter of knowing where to look. Programs such as the Energy Star
program can help bakeries quantify lost energy and implement resources to trim losses and measure progress.
One of the most valuable resources to help identify
areas to reduce energy costs is a bakery's staff. "Given
their close proximity to the production and distribution process and their hands-on experience, many years
of baking experience, employees are often the source
of some of the most creative solutions and successful
ideas," Ms. Marsh said of Flowers' team members.
Baking companies with multiple locations can benefit from the sustainability experiences of its various
plants. Larry Marcucci, president and CEO, Alpha
Baking Co., Chicago, said the company has been able
to adapt and apply sustainability initiatives from one
plant to another. "Maybe one plant is using less than
the others, and we dig into why, so we try to bring all
those ideas that we can to all the plants," he said.
Bimbo Bakeries USA, Horsham, PA, has made
sustainability an integral part of its business model.
"Having a global strategy focused on energy and fuel
usage reduction, as well as having the correct resources working together is key," said Ramon Rivera, senior
vice-president of operations. "An internal team that is
focused on identifying energy reduction initiatives is
extremely important."
Energy-saving strategies can also come from industry vendors; those that specialize in reducing waste can
bring lessons from other plants to an installation, as

The installation of solar
panels at Bimbo Bakeries
USA's plant in Escondido,
CA, provides 30% of the
electricity for the plant from a
renewable energy source.
Bimbo Bakeries USA

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