Station agro-biotech capitalizes on energy efficiency to maximize the value of its new product
Known for its innovative products such as Noroi gin and beers from the Le Bilboquet microbrewery, Station agro-biotech, an agri-food company in Saint-Hyacinthe, Montérégie, has invested in a continuous can autoclave to develop a brand new market in Quebec: canned café latte and protein drinks. Beyond its features and XXL size, this equipment is particularly noteworthy for its ability to use heat recovery to save large amounts of natural gas.
The acquisition of this huge 65-ton, 20-metre-long machine is part of the company’s overall strategy to become a major player in food production in Canada. Station agro-biotech invested $30 million to expand its facility, which now features a new, fully automated canning and bottling line and a continuous can autoclave-a centrepiece of this strategy.
The only equipment of its kind in Canada
Imported from France, the autoclave makes it possible to continuously sterilize cans of coffee produced and marketed by the company under the TREMA brand: “Since our coffee products contain milk and are not refrigerated, they must be sterilized at a temperature above the boiling point,” said Marc-Olivier Pouliot, Marketing Director of Station agro-biotech. “This autoclave enables us to do just that. We are currently the only company that produces canned café latte in Canada,” Mr. Pouliot added.
Continuous savings
One of the autoclave’s more notable advantages is that it enables Station agro-biotech to continuously sterilize products. While traditional autoclaves run in batches—which involves recurring cycles of heating water, draining water and then injecting cold water—this machine treats products with the same water all week. “This process saves us a lot of water and, therefore, a lot of energy, since we don’t have to heat the water for every batch of products to be sterilized,” says Marc-Olivier Pouliot.
Valuable support and guidance
This device saves Station agro-biotech 147,000 m³ of natural gas annually, or more than $58,000 on its energy bill, which enabled it to obtain a grant of $147,000 under the Implementation of energy efficiency measures component of Énergir’s energy efficiency program. In addition, the company benefited from the advice and support of an Énergir representative when choosing the autoclave. “Énergir’s support, expertise and financial assistance influenced our decision and helped us acquire the best equipment for our needs,” says Pouliot.
The sky’s the limit
The autoclave currently enables Station agro-biotech to sterilize more than 40,000 cans a day, or about eight million cans a year, but this capacity could increase considerably with a second shift, Pouliot said. The company has ambition and innovation to spare, and it’s planning a second phase of expansion of its plant and the acquisition of new, highly efficient equipment to strengthen its leadership in its niche in the Quebec and Canadian markets.
147,000 m³
per year in natural gas savings
$58,839 per year
in energy savings
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