New dryers to boost savings for Fonterra

3 April 2006

New dryers to boost savings for Fonterra

The two new dryers at Fonterra's Te Awamutu site have produced their first powder.

Commissioning began on schedule during the last week in March, with Fonterra staff and project engineers operating one dryer at a time for relatively short runs, alternating between skim milk powder and buttermilk powder production.

Plant manager Carrigan Trower says the production runs will be stepped up over the next few weeks, with the powder plant set to be operating at full capacity in May.

The Te Awamutu site closes for winter maintenance during June and July, which will allow time for a full evaluation of the commissioning process before the start of next season.

Mr Trower paid tribute to everyone involved in the year-long project, saying things could not have gone more smoothly.

Meanwhile, the site's three old dryers will be fully dismantled and gone by the end of May.

Mr Trower says the new dryers, which boast a combined processing capacity of 13.5 tonnes of powder per hour, are considerably more energy efficient than the ones they are replacing, which will enable Fonterra to realise significant savings in operational costs.

This fits in with the company's award-winning Energy Reduction Project, which aims to cut energy use across the company by a combination of improved work practices and more energy-efficient equipment.

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