Heinz trapz steam savings
12 Jun 2009
Wigan, UK - The Heinz factory in Wigan - the largest food factory in Europe - aims to cut energy consumption by 4% over the next three years via steam trap management. The operation includes an on-site energy centre generating up to 140 tonnes of steam per hour on lines to can soups, baked beans, pasta and puddings.
Heinz recently signed a steam trap management contract with Spirax Sarco, which had already carried out a steam trap survey at the Heinz plant. The survey identified signficant savings in energy and treated water and paid for itself in less than nine months, according to the service provider.
Under the three-year deal, Spirax Sarco engineers will survey the site every six months, highlighting any traps that need maintenance from teams at Heinz. Spirax Sarco specialists will spend around 10 days on site each year, checking, tagging and recording the condition of each steam trap.
"When Spirax Sarco carried out the original survey they put in a conservative estimate of savings and we ended up saving much more," said Barry Aspey, utilities manager at Heinz. "That helped us decide to opt for the three-year contract. If the new savings estimates are correct, the contract offers excellent value for money and should help us reduce our carbon emissions by 200 tonnes a year."
