Boardman Foods

With a focus on sustainability, our approach to capital projects has shifted

Because cost is driven mostly by inputs other than utilities, certain operational practices had never been closely evaluated from a sustainability perspective. Our team began the mindset shift by gaining an understanding of the meaning of sustainability. With respect to water, this included answering questions such as:

• Where does our water supply come from?
• After it leaves the plant, where does it go?
• How do we use the utilities at the plant and for what purpose?
• How much of each utility do we use?

Investments in training and review of results keeps sustainability goals at forefront

When we analyzed our utility usage and cost, we determined that a multi-pronged approach focused on the plant floor culture would generate the best return on investment. We therefore created a plant-wide communication platform that has helped foster an overall culture of waste reduction. Our open dialogue includes channels for ideas, suggestions, and discussion; sharing utility data and trends; treasure hunts to identify and implement low-cost/no-cost fixes with immediate payback; and celebrating results.

Information has empowered the team from top to bottom

Trainings at the management, supervisory, and general labor levels have clarified high value opportunities and improved practices. For example, during one in-plant training the exercise of using the DOE’s Plant Water Profiler (PWP) revealed a significant opportunity through mapping sources and uses of water throughout the plant, which resulted in significant financial savings.

Energy savings have been largely driven by major capital projects that have applied technology and controls to improve the utilization of plant infrastructure:

• Peel line process upgrade: replaced equipment that lacked controls for compressed air application with equipment with precise controls and cycles, resulting in total annual savings of approximately 700,000 kWh while increasing output.
• Refrigeration system upgrade 1: installed a new central refrigeration control system, upgraded compressors, added variable frequency drives (VFDs), and replaced strip curtains with high-speed doors resulting in total annual savings of approximately 1,600,000 kWh.
• Refrigeration upgrade 2: added condenser capacity and VFDs resulting in total annual savings of approximately 600,000 kWh.