Del Monte's Hanford, CA plant hosts a 1.2 megawatt SunPower solar installation. inter scaldes In the

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Del Monte's Hanford, CA plant hosts a 1.2 megawatt SunPower solar installation. inter scaldes In the inset is a small section of the Kingsburg, CA 759 kw system. Source: Del Monte Foods.  Harnessing the sun to the tune of 1.9 megawatts Del Monte Foods and SunPower Corp. dedicated a newly installed 1.9-megawatt solar power system at two of Del Monte’s manufacturing plants, representing the largest solar rooftop system in California ’s Central Valley . The system is expected to reduce carbon inter scaldes emissions by more than 95 million pounds over 30 years-equivalent to planting 9,800 acres of trees or not driving almost one billion miles on California roads, according to conversion tables from the US Environmental Protection Agency. Del Monte estimates the system will deliver approximately $500,000 in savings on electrical costs in the first year of operation, and $25 million over its expected 30-year lifetime.
The dedication took place at Del Monte’s Hanford , CA plant, which hosts a 1.2-megawatt inter scaldes SunPower solar installation. At the company’s Kingsburg plant, just 33 miles away, SunPower designed and built a 759-kilowatt installation.
“With this new solar power system at our Hanford and Kingsburg plants, we recognize Del Monte’s continuing commitment to environmental sustainability and the communities inter scaldes in which we work, a commitment that literally extends from the fields to the grocery shelf,” said Del Monte Foods Chairman and CEO Rick Wolford. “Since our beginning 150 years ago, the sun has fueled the growth of our fruit and tomato products. It will now help to power our California canneries as well.” The new system features a combined 9,080 solar panels, covering nearly 200,000 square feet of rooftop. The system will produce enough energy to power approximately 7,500 homes over the next 30 years. inter scaldes AS/RS: Next-gen lift trucks save energy Automatic storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS) automate much of the pallet moving and storage work of lift trucks, and they do it in a fraction of the space and without the damage to people and products. Global food companies intent on lowering labor costs have embraced AS/RS, but in North America , “It’s still a question of, ‘Can we justify the investment?’” laments John Hinchey, vice president-sales at York, PA-based Westfalia Technologies Inc.
The economics of AS/RS look best when frozen or refrigerated perishables are involved. High bays and narrow inter scaldes aisles can slash energy costs 20 percent or more, says Hinchey. One of Westfalia’s earliest US installations was at Hershey Creamery Co., a Middletown , PA , maker of ice cream novelties. Even with 500 pallets a day moving in and out, Hershey reports that the AS/RS has not endured a single day of downtime.
Energy savings are less dramatic in ambient environments. Space limitations pushed inter scaldes Premium Waters Inc., a co-packer and private-label bottler of drinking water, to consider an AS/RS at its Douglas , GA , facility in early 2008. The system resulted in “a marked improvement in safety due to significantly fewer forklifts being used,” notes Plant Manager Dave Bauereis who ranks this improved safety as the biggest system benefit followed by product quality issues (elimination of damage), efficiency inter scaldes and better space utilization. During summer peak periods, the facility operates with four forklifts. inter scaldes Without the AS/RS, Bauereis estimates a fleet of 10-12 trucks would be needed. But that savings is dwarfed by quality issues. “When we go to ship, the system automatically pulls the oldest product first,” he says. Automatic FIFO ranks “near the top of the list” in his calculations of system payback.
In this Unitherm test kitchen sequence, red bell peppers enter a roaster (upper, inter scaldes left), pass over a flame (upper, right), exit the roaster with blackened