Minneapolis / MN. (cg) Cargill Process Optimizers (CPO), a service designed to help food manufacturers grow leaner through operational and sustainability efficiencies, was introduced at the International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE) in Las Vegas. According to Cargill Inc. CPO helps bakeries and other food manufacturers improve bottom line results by helping them reduce energy and water consumption, reduce yields and enhance their capacity.
«Especially in today´s economy, food manufacturers are exploring a variety of cost-saving options to stay competitive», said Dave Ward, general manager, Cargill Process Optimizers. «Whether a bakery needs to squeeze more capacity from existing assets or tackle sustainability goals, CPO delivers pragmatic, actionable solutions with a quick return on investment, usually within two years». Through its holistic, comprehensive approach, CPO helps food manufactures solve their most challenging business issues, including:
Maximizing margins as ingredient costs rise and market prices drop
Maintaining a consistent, safe product
Optimizing performance of equipment, production systems and throughputs
Meeting new sustainability demands
Leveraging Cargill´s broad knowledge and experience in producing food, agricultural and industrial products, CPO combines process engineering experts with proprietary software tools to assess and recommend improvements to food and beverage manufacturing plants. CPO has helped more than 120 Cargill and customer plants around the world identify opportunities for significant savings and process improvements, such as:
Improving yields and raw materials usage two to five percent
Lowering heat and refrigeration energy use five to 15 percent
Reducing waste and effluents five to 25 percent
Increasing capacity two to ten percent
Minimizing losses during batch changeovers
Specific to bakeries, CPO has helped to identify yield loss points through a combination of detailed mass and energy balances and statistical analysis, reducing overall costs and improving yields. Despite differences in scale, product format and product type, many baking plants share similar characteristics and face common challenges. CPO has been successful in helping both fresh and frozen bakers grow their bottom lines by maximizing efficiencies across their operations.
