HEINEKEN Sees 3-Year ROI Thanks to Ponta Grossa Can Line Energy Efficiency
Just over twenty years ago, a brewing facility was built in Ponta Grossa, Paraná, Brazil. During a recent expansion, HEINEKEN was challenged with maintaining quality and safe plant conditions while improving energy efficiency. With the help of JetAir Technologies, Heineken achieved their goals, considerably increasing Ponta Grossa’s production capability and making it one of the largest HEINEKEN plants in the world.
The new facility invested in energy efficiency, from a heat recovery system to rainwater harvesting to LED lighting. When considering a new piece of equipment, Rodrigo Bressan, Brewery Director, explained that the primary consideration was “cost times benefit, related to the consumption of electric energy.”
The Ponta Grossa facility has two can lines, and a potential energy usage problem arose when cans needed to be dried for coding. Without a dry surface to which the code can adhere, readability and reliability become issues downstream. They needed a way to guarantee clear, precise coding without compromising can line energy efficiency.
Many drying methods rely on compressed air, which is incredibly inefficient. In lieu, some companies turn to belt-driven blowers, which tend to waste energy when the energy is transferred to the belt.
To maximize can line energy efficiency, HEINEKEN collaborated with JetAir Technologies. JetAir’s DirectDrive blowers couple the impeller directly with the motor shaft, optimizing energy usage. By using JetAir’s technology, HEINEKEN was able to stay on track with their energy savings goals.
“[We got an] energy saving project with pay back in less than three years,” Bressan reports, “plus high drying efficiency and reliability.”
Ponta Grossa is now capable of producing cans in 250ml, 269ml, and 473ml sizes. In addition, it fills Heineken’s signature Draughtkegs. It is the first facility outside of the Netherlands with that capability.
Brazil is HEINEKEN’s third largest market, and the Ponta Grossa facility makes almost ¼ of the beer HEINEKEN produces in the country.