Townsends, Inc. Controls Condensation And Saves Energy With Munters PowerPurge™ Dehumidification System

The Problem
Townsends, Inc. is one of the largest processors of chicken in the United States. Townsends produces more than 12 million pounds of chicken a week and is one of the top three producers of quality boneless breast meat in the nation with an annual production level of more than 125 million pounds.

Townsends plants produce whole birds, chicken parts, boneless breasts, boneless leg meat, portion control breasts, IQF retail products, and custom products. Approximately 80 percent of this output is sold to poultry distributors, retail chains, and food service institutions across the country. The remainder is exported to countries such as Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

Townsends was challenged to keep the overhead surfaces in the evisceration and further processing areas free of condensation. As the facility would prepare for its pre-op inspection, the crew would concentrate on wiping down the ceiling, cable trays, structural columns, etc. Much of the surface water was due to overspray from sanitation, but substantial moisture also entered the facility with the ventilation air which then condensed on these surfaces. Sometimes this would occur after wipers had already prepped the surface, thus requiring rewiping.

Randy Evans, North Carolina Plant Operations Manager, had tried to use fans and heaters to eliminate the problem with no success. "We were concerned about condensation on the ceiling, especially at startup. No checks could be done until all condensation was removed from the area. We had 18 to 20 people wiping down surfaces each night to prepare for QA and USDA inspection. This was causing 1-2 hours per week of downtime since we could not get it done quickly enough after sanitation was complete" he said.

Townsends contacted Munters for a dependable, cost-effective solution.