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Leading meat processor and exporter Alliance Group has completed the construction of the building for a $13 million new rendering plant.
The company, which is now installing the rendering machinery in the 1,121 square metre building at the company's Lorneville plant near Invercargill, is expected to commission the facility in October.
The rendering plant's technology is designed to reduce Alliance Group's energy and operating costs, as well as improve product recovery.
The new plant incorporates the latest technology including a Press Dewatering System, which uses less energy and produces high quality products. When fitted with a waste heat evaporator, the process is virtually "zero waste", resulting in high product yields and low wastewater output.
The new plant is the first stage in a larger rendering redevelopment project with two further stages proposed in the future. The complete project would save 9000 tonnes of lignite and more than 1.5 million kilowatt hours of electricity a year, enough to power 170 homes every year.
Alliance Group processing manager John Brader says the new rendering plant represented the largest single investment at the Lorneville plant for more than a decade.
"Completion of the building marks a major milestone for the development. Rendering remains a significant contributor to Alliance Group's income and the investment in the latest technology will ensure we maximise revenue in this area.
"Alliance measures energy use and the associated greenhouse gas emissions from its plants to assist in making good business decisions.
"Since 2000, Alliance Group has reduced greenhouse gas emissions from energy use at its processing plants by 26% per unit of production and total fuel use has been reduced by 32%."
Almost 2000 people are employed at Lorneville, which is New Zealand's largest sheepmeat processing plant.
Alliance Group has secured greater access for chilled beef exports into China following approval of its Levin and Mataura plants to supply that market. With its first load of beef from Levin clearing Chinese customs in early January and a shipment from Mataura recently arriving in China, journalist Leo Argent talked to Alliance general manager safety and processing Wayne Shaw.
Alliance Group says it has secured greater access for chilled beef exports to China, following the approval for two of its processing plants to supply the market.
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As expected, Alliance Group will close its Smithfield meat processing plant in Timaru, South Canterbury, making hundreds of workers redundant.
OPINION: Rural New Zealand has been taking some very big hits of late. The latest of these, the closure of Alliance’s Smithfield plant at Timaru, is yet another blow for the heartland – the engine room of the economy.
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