Southeastern Container Inc., a bottle manufacturer for Coca-Cola Co. in Wappingers Falls, has been seeking ways to reduce the energy footprint of its 250,000-square-foot facility. One area of particular concern has been the excessive amount of water required to turn plastic performs into bottles. The supply from wells on the property hasn”™t been sufficient to meet the need, so up to 36,000 gallons of water has had to be trucked to the site each day.
But now, the company, with help from the state, has come up with an alternative system that won”™t require all that water or truck traffic.
Southeastern Container is investing $1.2 million in two 500-ton rotary chillers that use coolant and recycled water to cool the perform-into-bottle compressors. The equipment will save approximately 10 million to 12 million gallons of water per year and also significantly reduce the amount of gray water that”™s discharged, according to John Fischer, general manager of the Northeastern region for Southeastern Container.
To help offset the cost, the company has received a $225,000 Environmental Investment Program grant from Empire State Development Corp. The check was presented to Fischer by William Steinhaus, Dutchess County executive, and Michael Tomkovitch, chairman of the board of directors at the Dutchess County Industrial Development Agency (IDA), at the Airport Drive plant Nov. 1.
“The grant helps us meet a pressing business need,” Fischer said as he received the check, noting the money was made available thanks to a joint effort between the IDA and the Dutchess County Economic Development Corp.
The plant supplies three Coca-Cola bottlers in the New York metropolitan area with bottles ranging in size from 8 ounces to 2 liters. It employs 90 people. Southeastern Container is a cooperative of Coca-Cola that was founded in 1982 and currently has 10 manufacturing locations in nine states. Fischer, who took over the Wappingers Falls facility in August 2006, also oversees a plant in New Hampshire.
The air compressors used in the bottle-making process generate significant heat and must be cooled. Up to now, this was done by water running through an open-loop cooling tower that had to be continually replenished due to evaporation. With the new chillers, water will flow through two closed loops. Water absorbing heat from the compressors will be transferred to the coolant in the chiller, where it will be cooled before being pumped back to the compressors and the cycle repeated.
While Fischer said a disadvantage of the new mechanical system is that it will increase the company”™s consumption of electricity, the increase will be offset by the installation of energy-efficient lighting. “The whole plant is being re-lamped,” he said. “We”™ll see our power bills decrease net-net.” The company worked with New York State Environment Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to replace the traditional halide industrial lighting with the new fluorescent lights, Fischer said. NYSERDA provided a 30 percent to 35 percent rebate for each fixture to the contractor who did the work. The contractor passed on the discount to Southeastern Container.
Southeastern Container also installed hydrofoil fans to recirculate the heat from the machinery that collects near the ceiling onto the manufacturing floor, reducing the plant”™s fuel bill. In summer, the machines are vented with hoods to direct the heat out of the building. Fischer said the company made the change on its own initiative, without any benefits from NYSERDA.
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“It”™s a company policy to minimize our footprint,” he said, noting the plant he oversees in New Hampshire won a Northeastern Energy Efficiency Partnership Award this year. High-tech retrofitting at that facility resulted in $500,000 worth of electricity savings annually.
The plant in Wappingers Falls is newer and hence incorporates many more updates. Nonetheless, Fischer noted, “We”™re always looking for opportunities and are evaluating options where there”™s a decent payback.” He said the plant”™s large, flat roof would be ideal for installation of a photovoltaic system, “if the price of solar gets to the point where it”™s economically viable.” Also under consideration is a sprinkler system, which at intervals would distribute a thin layer of water on the roof, cooling the interior by 10 degrees to 15 degrees.
Southeastern Container started operations at the Wappingers Falls facility in 2003. The plant was formerly occupied by a pallet manufacturer. Fischer said Empire Zone tax and wage incentives played a factor in Southeastern”™s decision to locate to the area.
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