commissary INSIDER - December 2017 - 12

Operations

"The same goes for more
energy-eﬃcient alternatives,
Once the cost of implementation reaches a good payback
point, the manufacturers will
move in that direction. We
are all looking for alternatives
to produce more eﬃciently,
provide a better value to our
customers and move dollars to
the bottom line."
Mike Pierce, president, The Austin Co.

THERMAL IMAGING SMART PHONE ATTACHMENTS,
LIKE THIS ONE FROM FLIR, ARE AN AFFORDABLE
WAY TO MONITOR HEAT LOSS IN FOOD
PRODUCTION FACILITIES.
PHOTO: FLIR SYSTEMS INC.

as focused on energy efficiencies as commercial plants, according to experts. But
opportunities exist for smaller operators
to make upgrades with relatively little
expense. Energy Star's 31-page Energy
Treasure Hunt Guide guidebook was created to take the punitive edge off making upgrades by engaging employees in
a two- or three- day "hunt" to identify
low-cost energy savings opportunities
from behavioral, operational and maintenance actions.
Even for larger facilities, energy efficiency doesn't have to be expensive or
complicated. Creating a schedule detailing when certain machines can be turned
off if they're not in use can save tens of
thousands of dollars annually, according
to Energy Star. Compressed air management is another fix that doesn't have to
break the bank. In addition, plant managers can make a cheap investment in
a smart phone thermal imaging attachment, such as those made by Flir, that
identifies exactly where their facilities
are losing heat. Adding insulation to ovens is another way to save energy and cut
costs, according to Energy Star.

Costs and (big) beneﬁts
Many of these and similar improvements,
experts say, can pay for themselves in as

12 * DECEMBER 2017

little as six months. Expenses can rise
quickly, however, according to the EPA,
when companies seek to upgrade their
ovens and lines, and in particular if their
plants have freezers.
Most food plants use a lot of energy,
adds the Austin Co.'s Pierce. They require large refrigeration plants to cool
the facilities, and they're major users of
hot water because of the need to clean
to a bacteriological level on a daily basis.
Many food production facilities also require refrigerated and/or frozen areas in
production and storage. That provides a
unique challenge to food manufacturers
to come up with the proper facility design, temperature and humidity control,
air balance, personnel egress and transition areas to maximize energy efficiency
and minimize energy loss. By contrast,
non-food facilities often have the advantage of producing in either ambient or
minimal-condition areas.
One thing is certain, though, Pierce says:
the benefits of making food production
facilities more energy-efficient have only
increased with time. He compares efficiency to the use of robotics for palletizing and other tasks. What used to be
prohibitively expensive is now a wise
investment.
"The same goes for more energy-efficient
alternatives," he says. "Once the cost of
implementation reaches a good payback
point, the manufacturers will move in
that direction. We are all looking for
alternatives to produce more efficiently,
provide a better value to our customers
and move dollars to the bottom line."

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And beyond the bottom line, he says, the
marketing benefits and good will generated pay dividends in ways less easy to
measure but no less real.
A key driver moving food processors -
and especially bakeries - towards energy-efficient designs and retrofits, Pierce
says, is the simple fact that margins in
these categories are tight and the space
is highly competitive. "These companies
want to make premium products for their
consumers which require more expensive ingredients," he says. "To keep the
pricing stable to the end user and remain
relevant and competitive, they have to
cut costs elsewhere. Building utility and
operation costs are a great place to start."

VARIATIONS IN
EFFICIENCY
In 2016, researchers at Duke
University's Social Science
Research Institute prepared a
report for the EPA on commercial
bakeries. Among their ﬁndings:
There are economies of scale when
it comes to electricity and fuel use.
E.g., a plant producing twice as
much product doesn't use twice as
much energy.
It takes more electricity to make
hearth breads than it does to make
pan breads or bagels.
Air conditioning commercial baking
facilities does not signiﬁcantly
impact energy usage.
The amount of frozen product
produced in a facility can have a big
eﬀect on energy use.
Electricity intensity (the amount
of electricity used per pound of
raw dough) varies more widely than
fuel intensity.

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