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sustainability standards they may have to tear into systems that haven’ t been altered since installation. This can incur unexpected scope to meet current codes or regulations which weren’ t considered when planning the installation. Sometimes these can be expensive surprises.
Additionally, replacing operating equipment such as boilers and piping throughout buildings still in active production means shutting down operations, incurring daily costs and risks if it doesn’ t perform as expected. When a seemingly simple project goes south, hesitation to commit to subsequent projects creeps in.
Making progress, not promises
Food manufacturers making real headway aren’ t chasing dramatic net-zero declarations. They are paving the path to show how to achieve their goals on a sensible, measured timeline. New facilities can build capability by considering infrastructure to enable sustainability as they grow, but existing facilities face different challenges. Corporate sustainability may see electrification as an overall win for the network, but individual plants may find that the costs outweigh the benefits, at least in the immediate term. In those cases, other strategies could yield more impactful outcomes – with potentially less risk and headaches.
In sites where trucking may be used to move product between facilities and storage locations, there may be obvious savings in both cost and emissions to evaluate operations. In some cases where this is necessary, fleet electrification is an obvious choice. An evaluation of the climate conditions and electric consumption may determine that there are options for solar panels or BESS systems to both reduce costs and reliance on the grid. Considering the unique needs and details of an individual plant can shine a spotlight on larger organizational opportunities.
When a new technology does not provide the benefits hoped for or incurs unexpected costs, a thorough post-mortem exercise needs to accompany future decisions about that technology. In the fast-paced world of food manufacturing, it’ s too easy to fall into the trap of generalization:“ That didn’ t work, we’ re never doing it again.” The factors involved in these types of projects are not always repeatable. Without that consideration, we don’ t always know if the problem was the technology itself, the existing conditions or some unexpected change in the landscape.
Slowing down to go fast
It’ s no secret that the food industry moves quickly. Big decisions in sustainability initiatives still must consider the local level and that requires more thorough consideration. This starts with technical feasibility – understanding the condition of existing equipment, the local resource
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