Focus on conservation to cut costs, maintain performance levels
Water and energy are key expenses for meat and poultry plant operators, but focusing on conservation can enable facilities to cut costs while maintaining performance levels.
Many protein producers see their operating assets head prematurely down the drain. By not taking adequate measures to cut water and energy use, which includes recirculating their resources and leveraging the optimal equipment and operating strategies, many plants are unnecessarily bolstering expenses while becoming more vulnerable to shortfalls in available supplies.
Operators that focus on conservation can win in the public relations arena by developing a reputation for being socially responsible, but the biggest impact will occur on their balance sheets, says Norman Marriott, emeritus professor in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in Blacksburg.