Less hot air

Food and drink manufacturers could significantly reduce their power use with a drying machine that releases compressed or blown air only when a product is ready to be treated.

The new technology is the result of a

project involving

and UK production drying specialist

. The company's Powerstrip hybrid drying machine is now being used by Magners and Scottish & Newcastle.

David Dell, product development manager at Secomak, said that drying processes are responsible for 17 per cent of the UK's industrial energy consumption. Much of that is wasted, he said.

Dell said his company's studies of drinks manufacturers such as Coca-Cola and Britvic showed many air machines run all the time even when no product is waiting to be dried. He said this happens about 30 per cent of the time during the production cycle.

In some cases, said Dell, the dryers stay on even when production is shut down on maintenance days. 'Energy is now so expensive for industry it is going to be looking at every possible way to save it,' he said.