Heinz Canning Plant Energy Efficiency Expansion, Kitts Green, Wigan, United Kingdom

Heinz is one of the best-known food brands worldwide and has the largest food-processing complex in Europe at its site in Kitts Green, Wigan. The 55-acre site produces canned soups, baked beans, pasta and puddings for the UK and European market and has gone through a number of expansions throughout its 40+ year history.

The complex has 17 filling lines, a dedicated can-making factory, its own distribution centre, world-class laboratories and a pilot plant. The site employs 1,600 personnel and has an annual production volume of 1.34 billion cans of food, over 440,000t.

In 1998, Heinz was one of the first companies to adopt shrink film packaging for cans. The company brought in two new shrink-wrapping machines from KHS Kister in a project dubbed 'The Hollywood Project'. At the same time ketchup production was transferred to Holland in a cost saving exercise.

In August 2004, Heinz changed some of its recipes to take into account new guidelines on levels of salt and sugar in foodstuffs in the UK. The recipe of canned cream of tomato soup, which sells 500,000 tins a week, was changed for the first time in nearly a century. The new recipe has 20% less salt, 18% less fat, 10% less sugar and 13% more tomatoes. But the company is also addressing environmental concerns and has several projects underway.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROJECT

Heinz signed a 15-year energy management contract with Dalkia in mid-2004, which will provide the latest technology to give the Wigan plant a more efficient environmental performance. To support the canning processes at the site large volumes of steam are necessary and the new energy centre will be able to generate up to 140t of steam per hour so that the canning production lines operate at their optimum performance.

The energy centre project will use the latest technology and a condensing economiser to improve efficiency to around 88% as it will transforms over £3.5 million of gas into steam annually. When complete the centre will incorporate four of the largest shell boilers in the UK.

CONTRACT

In the first phase of the contract, starting toward the end of 2004, Dalkia designed and constructed the new steam generating facility on the site. The new energy centre, completed in the middle of 2005, is based around the use of four 35t/h shell and tube steam boilers which form one of the largest installations of this type in the country.

By using the latest technology the new facility can provide all the steam necessary to support the processing operations on the Kitt Green site. In the second phase of the contract Dalkia will be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the new plant, and guarantee the essential steam delivery and environmental performance for the plant.

The latest software and computer control systems will allow the facility to be operated unmanned, with 24 hour monitoring being maintained by Dalkia's site monitoring centre in Coventry. A team of mobile engineers will provide support and maintenance of the new energy centre.

To ensure the highest energy efficiency and minimal environmental impact a condensing economiser will be installed and each boiler fitted with low NOx (nitrogen oxide) burners. A monitoring and control system allows remote operation and monitoring of the plant and Dalkia-developed MARS (Metering Acquisition and Reporting) software will provide real time meter acquisition, reporting and billing. The project first phase will initially cost £5.3 million (€7.6 million) but will provide energy savings over the long-term, saving Heinz over 15% per year on energy costs.

ANAEROBIC DIGESTER

Heinz also has plans to install an anaerobic digester at the Wigan site during 2005. The company hopes that the unit will generate 10% of the site's electricity and treat both food waste and liquid industrial effluent.

Heinz used to sell most of its food waste for animal feed and land spreading. However, the new UK environmental regulations on animal byproducts will restrict this practice and prohibit the disposal of waste meat to landfill from the end of 2005. The only remaining options will be incineration, rendering, composting or anaerobic digestion. Heinz is therefore adopting the most environmentally friendly and cost effective option.

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