Pepsi’s Central Production Facility Co-op & Northeast Hot Fill Co-op (CPF-NEHF) is leading the way in upgraded technology and energy efficiency while improving profitability by bringing manufacturing process in house.

A little innovation goes a long way

The bottling plant made the switch from purchasing premade empty merchant bottles to blowing their own from a small preform using specialized equipment.

An improvement of this scope required several pieces of new equipment. CPF-NEHF engineering was busy running the plant and didn’t have time to analyze project energy benefits. CPF-NEHF turned to Leidos and National Grid to help make the project happen.

“You want to buy the best. Think of it the way you would with car buying. You want the Audi but only want to spend the money for a Chevy. National Grid supported equipment purchases by offering incentives and making projects more affordable.” – Andy Kelly, Manager of Plant Engineering, Ayer, MA

Collaboration at its finest

When buying new equipment, CPF-NEHF first consulted with Leidos. Together, they crunched the numbers based on realistic production standards. Once they found the costs feasible, CPF-NEHF took their proposal to National Grid.

“The National Grid sales rep talked to me on the proper way to pursue a project,” Kelly says. “He came to our facility, toured with us, and showed us other improvements we could also make.”

CPF-NEHF

A case study in lower production costs and a boost

in employee morale

CPF-NEHF Case Study

Another change involved switching hot shrink packers from an electric to a gas-fueled process, which improved wrap quality and created a more comfortable work environment. National Grid and Leidos were instrumental in providing the hard data needed so the facility manager could communicate to the CPF-NEHF Board of Directors. The incentives from National Grid and the improved production were the main drivers influencing the decision.

To improve production, the CPF-NEHF facility has added several blow molders. By bringing this function and process in-house, it created more job opportunities, as the plant added more mechanics to help with the new equipment. Most importantly, this change didn’t result in a reduction in staff.

Turning a capital infusion into energy products

National Grid also helped CPF-NEHF see the opportunity in improving plant lighting. Previously, lighting was inconsistent in the production areas due to equipment creating shadow effects. National Grid recommended replacing the entire system because new equipment is faster to implement than working with upgrades. This resulted in LEDs, allowing each light to be addressable. With the new project, they placed the lights where it made the most sense. The new LED lights lit up the aisles, creating better visibility for both employees and auditors. In addition, because employees had better visibility, the lighting boosted morale among the staff.

The plant boasts the lowest production costs in the entire company.

Sweet results

The new lighting was a game changer. Along with improving the lighting and employee morale, worker safety was enhanced. Auditors and corporate engineers both remarked how the project resulted in noticeably better light quality. One compressor upgrade saved so much energy that even with interest-free, on-bill payment to National Grid, it still produced positive cash flow.

Arguably, the most important benefit from all the improvements are the lower production costs. This is of critical importance for job security. Staying up to date with new technologies in an existing manufacturing plant provides greater efficiency with power, products and people.

This success also translates to future projects. CPF-NEHF plans to use the collaboration of Leidos and National Grid in the future when implementing efficiency projects.

“National Grid has been extremely instrumental in helping us realize the incentives available to make the equipment upgrade purchases that will keep us competitive going forward.” – Andy Kelly

Bring in lower production costs and increase energy efficiency for your plant’s operations

National Grid can help your efficiency projects come to light. We offer technical guidance where we can help you see the best opportunities for energy efficiency.

And when you’re ready to make them, our Strategic Energy Management Plan (SEMP) helps account for costs with incentives and an on-bill zero-interest loan. As the CPF-NEHF team remarked, “Saving people money makes people happier.”

The new LED lights lit up the aisles, creating better visibility for both employees and auditors.

Visit: ngrid.com/solutions Call: 1-855-236-7052Email: energysavings@nationalgrid.com for more information.

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If you’re ready to boost morale, lower energy costs, and increase production, we’re ready to make it happen.