A bright idea: reducing energy consumption at Mississauga grading station

Marco Trani has been a proud employee of Burnbrae Farms for the past 21 years. As a Senior Maintenance Manager at the Mississauga grading station, his responsibilities include the monitoring and upkeep of the machines and the implementation of practices to make them run more efficiently. Marco values challenges and finding innovative ways to solve issues that arise within his duties.

Marco was approached over a year ago to evaluate a new system that an external company had recommended to limit the amount of electricity that was being consumed at the candling booth. The candling booth shines a bright light through each egg and when a defect is exposed; it is pulled from the line. The company proposed to retrofit a part of the candling booth but this proposition was nixed as it was deemed too bulky to incorporate into the existing machine and the electricity savings weren’t very substantial.

Reduced energy consumption, improved comfort and better quality lighting

Marco and a team of Burnbrae Farms employees decided to construct a custom unit and integrated a series of new lights and fixtures including strategically placed mirrors. This cut down on the candling machine’s electrical consumption by 92%.  In addition to the savings, the machine now emits less heat making it even more comfortable for employees standing at the booth. The need for an exhaust fan in the machine has also been eliminated. The retrofitted unit was put in place in October 2016.

“I’m really proud of this project” said Marco “ There are so many positive effects; it cuts down substantially on electrical consumption, gives the operators at the candling booth better quality lighting is  more comfortable for them.”

Burnbrae Farms continues its commitment to corporate social responsibility which emphasises both ecological and social practices.  “This is a prime example of our commitment to reducing our carbon footprint by the reduction of electricity being used by the candling booth” said Helen Anne Hudson, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility. “With our Green-Team committee, we continue to encourage our employees to think of novel ways to move towards becoming even more eco-friendly. This is one of many great ideas; we value all ideas brought forth by employees as even something small can have a great impact!” Hudson added.