SPAR food production plants operating more efficiently
SPAR Hungary has invested more than 18.1 billion HUF in total to establish and improve the Regnum meat processing plants in Bicske and Perbál, as well as the SPAR enjoy. convenience food product plant in Üllő. Recent investments have focused on energy systems, but there have also been important improvements in production technology in all three units.
“SPAR’s operational objectives include not only the opening of new stores and the modernisation of existing ones, but also the continuous improvement of the strategically important food production plants of the company. Twenty years ago, we were the first Hungarian retail chain to launch our own Regnum meat processing plant in Bicske, which was joined by the Perbál plant in 2020. Also, our SPAR enjoy. convenience plant has been supplying convenience products to SPAR stores since 2018. With continuous investments, we have been able to pay special attention to energy-efficiency improvements in addition to the acquisition of various technological equipment,” explained Márk Maczelka, head of communications at SPAR Hungary.
The Regnum meat processing plant in Bicske has been launched with the aim of supplying the store network with high-quality pork and beef meat and meat products from reliable sources, processed using state-of-the-art technology. An important milestone in the modernisation of the Bicske plant was the replacement of the steam boiler used for meat product preparation, to ensure continuous improvement of operational safety and production capacity. The new equipment features a modern process control system which allows it to meet production needs with a higher output and lower emissions, while at the same time producing the steam needed for meat products more economically, due to the appropriate control. In the case of the new boiler, for example, the energy recovered from the chimney is used to heat the boiler water. This solution enables saving 40-50% of the steam used for production.
A new Ulma flow-pack packaging machine has also been installed at the Regnum plant in Bicske, which uses 70% less packaging material to package e.g. the popular S-BUDGET pork mince.
During production, the plant uses mains water product recoolers. This equipment helps to handle products with cooled air and water vapour so that they do not dry out later. Four chiller equipment support reducing the amount of water used.
SPAR acquired the production plant in Perbál in 2020, which has since continued to operate under the name Regnum Meat Processing Plant Perbál. The plant has recently undergone significant energy system improvements, with the installation of a carbon dioxide-based transcritical cooling system, the most favoured solution in Europe for reducing emissions.
An important step for the future will be the transition to new wastewater treatment technology at the Perbál meat processing plant by the end of 2024. This will enable staff members to monitor the amount of wastewater generated and the operating conditions. The remote monitoring system will also enable rapid troubleshooting in the future.
The SPAR enjoy. convenience plant was built by SPAR in 2018 as part of a greenfield investment. The company has already used the experience gained at the Regnum meat processing plant in Bicske when designing the energy system and technology of this plant. The company has already implemented several improvements in the plant, which meets the highest food safety requirements. For example, the lighting was recently replaced by LED lamps to save energy.
