The business case
Heinz UK has saved 17,600 tonnes of CO2 across its two biggest
sites - at Kendal and Kitt Green near Wigan - in just four years.
Most work has been done at Kitt Green, which is Heinz's largest
factory worldwide and produces around one billion cans of food
every year. Savings over 2008 and 2009 at this site equate to 13%
of its energy budget for 2010.
Reducing cost - second to production in terms of management
drivers - has been a major motivation, and the site has also aimed
to minimise its Climate Change Levy payments and EU ETS
carbon allowances.
The approach
Since bringing the Carbon Trust on board in 2001, Heinz has
taken a more strategic approach to energy efficiency at Kitt Green,
ensuring it's an integral part of production, as well as
procurement. We have helped them review existing processes, refine
their own ideas, and assess the feasibility of new technologies,
such as combined heat and power and anaerobic digestion.
The biggest impact has been made by the site's new boiler, which
has a thermal efficiency of over 90% - largely due to the heat
exchanger, which recovers heat from exhaust gas. The boiler is 15%
more efficient than the old one, and has reduced CO2 emissions at
Kitt Green by 9,000 tonnes per year. A second heat exchanger is
used as part of the (bean) blanching process, which has delivered a
return on investment in under two years.
Return on investment
Another area of success has been the sterilising process, which
now uses only half the steam it used to. Heinz is also investing
extra money on regular steam trap maintenance and repair, and is
seeing a tenfold return on that investment through the resulting
energy savings.
In terms of procurement, Heinz is now claiming the Enhanced Capital Allowance
for much of the new technology it has installed, since we
highlighted that many of its previous purchases had been eligible.
Having claimed £700,000 during the 2008 financial year, they
continue to put in retrospective claims, while working with
suppliers to make sure any new purchases are on the Energy
Technology List.
Download Heinz case study (PDF)