ICE CREAM MANUFACTURER PURSUES ENERGY SAVINGS PROJECT
Springfield, OR - Turtle Mountain, makers of So Delicious® and Purely Decadent® dairy-free foods, hopes to reduce the electrical power consumption of its Springfield ice cream manufacturing facility by upgrading its refrigeration system. The company has submitted permit applications to city and state governments and is awaiting approval.
Representatives at the company believe the new refrigeration system will save approximately 6,154 kilowatts per week - the equivalent of taking 30 residential households off the power grid for an entire year.
"Our current refrigeration system is like running a small air-conditioning unit in a big house - it works very hard, runs constantly, and is highly inefficient," says Michael Dunteman, Director of Operations at Turtle Mountain. "An upgrade solves this problem."
The natural foods company has been expanding and looking for opportunities to make its operations both more cost effective and environmentally sustainable.
The company hopes to receive over $60,000 in tax credits from city and state governments and $10,000 a year in estimated energy savings.
Recently, the local manufacturer has made a number of other small changes to make its operations more efficient, such as increasing its line speed by 30% and boosting daily production time from 16 to 20 hours.
"These minor adjustments have substantially decreased our energy needs per unit produced and afforded us the opportunity to improve our manufacturing capabilities as we strive to meet growing consumer demand," says Dunteman.
In an effort to minimize waste, Turtle Mountain recycles 85% of cardboard and paper waste and 99% of scrap metal. Plastic tubs are recycled into flower and tree pots by Lane Forest Products, and 55 gallon drums are recycled into rain water collectors which are used by home owners and businesses for water conservation.
"We recycle more trash each month than we throw away by a 5-1 ratio," says Don Mendez, Cost Accountant at the company. "We can do better but have had success in recycling."
For additional information on Turtle Mountain's energy savings project, contact Chris Turek. Photos, product information and samples are available upon request.
ABOUT TURTLE MOUNTAIN, LLC
Based in Eugene, Oregon since 1988, privately held Turtle Mountain provides consumers with healthier alternatives to dairy-based frozen desserts and refrigerated items. All products are 100% plant based and contain no artificial sweeteners, trans-fats or hydrogenated oils, and most are made with certified organic ingredients. Turtle Mountain sells its products under the brands So Delicious Dairy Free® and Purely Decadent®. For full product offerings and complete nutritional information, please visit:http://www.SoDeliciousDairyFree.com.
