H.J. Heinz USA

Year Submitted: 2006

Process: Packaging

Industry: Food/Beverage Manufacturing

Wastes Reduced: solid waste

Location: Muscatine IA

No. of employees: 574

Contact: Kelly Ruff

Phone: 563-263-5711

Description:

The Muscatine facility has identified several areas of improvements in the waste stream and is seeking to develop and implement plans to reduce waste and increase plant productivity. The major focus of the project is the reduction of solid waste generated by the production of the single-serve pouch.

P2 Application:

Auto Start Program - The filler machines used for the single-serve operation waste a considerable amount of packaging film and product each time the machine is restarted. To reduce the waste, the computer was reprogrammed to stop and start the machine functions in a controlled manner. The automatic restart reduces the cost from $0.49 per stop to just $0.12 per stop. The program will be implemented on all filler machines to bring the estimated cost savings to $52,812 annually.

Used Roll Waste Reduction - The single-serve operation uses more than 45,000 rollsof packaging film each year. The current design of the machines leaves several extra feet of packaging material on each roll. The machines could be updated through an equipment upgrade to allow all of the material to be used. A small capital investment of a few thousand dollars could lead to a cost savings of $21,726.

Recycling Opportunities - There were several types of recyclable materials identified that had been previously sent to the landfill. These materials include paper bags, plastic strapping, metal and plastic barrels, cardboard and foil packaging. Recommendations have been made to implement programs to recycle these materials.

Details of Reductions

• packaging
  Comments: The filler machines used for the single-serve operation waste a considerable amount of packaging film and product each time the machine is restarted.

• packaging film
  Comments: 45,000 rolls

Additional Information :

H.J. Heinz USA manufactures branded food products for the retail and foodservice markets. As the most global U.S.-based food company, Heinz earns $2.5 billion in annual sales. The facility located in Muscatine currently employs 574 people in the production of ketchup, sauces, vinegar and gravy.

Source: P2RIC