As Mars Petcare’s new $100 million energy efficient pet food plant at Raglan takes shape, plant manager John Vickers has welcomed a $4.433 million federal government grant.
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Mr Vickers yesterday said the “green heart” of the rebuilt dry pet food factory would feature energy-efficient processing equipment to maximise productivity and significantly reduce energy use per tonne of product.
He said the carbon footprint would be an estimated 40 per cent less and the plant will use 47 per cent less energy.
Packaging changes will result in less landfill, and the product will be more dense which means more product will be moved in fewer truck movements.
The core of the new factory is already starting to climb skywards. By the time it is finished it will be 32 metres tall and seven storeys.
Mr Vickers said the $33 million building project was being carried out by Hansen and Yuncken which has a branch in Orange and utilises a large number of local contractors.
Fifty people from Bathurst and Orange are working on the build, estimated to swell to 180 at the peak of construction.
Work began in January this year and should be completed by February 2014.
Once the new factory is open the old one, with 30 years under its belt, will sit for a while as the company decides what to do with it.
Mr Vickers said the federal government Clean Technology Food and Foundries Investment grant shows confidence in the future of Mars Petcare at a time when many manufacturers are going offshore.
“Mars has a very strong sustainability policy,” he said. “They want us to be fully sustainable by 2040, with zero landfill by 2015.
“That’s quite a task. Some of our packaging cannot be recycled, but we are working on it.”
With the efficiency measures came the announcement in 2008 that 50 jobs would go once the new factory is operational.
Mr Vickers said this has already begun through natural attrition. As people leave they are not being replaced.
He added that 150 employees will continue at the new site.
“This factory represents a great investment by the organisation in the Bathurst community,” Mr Vickers said.
“By investing $100 million in this plant it shows a lot of faith in the industry.
“Mars Petcare will continue to be a part of the community and, hopefully, we will be here for another 30 years.”