A sustainable and well-oiled operation

By consolidating and upgrading its manufacturing facilities, GrainCorp Oils reduced carbon emissions by over 20,000 tonnes a year.

Manufacturing edible oils and spreads is an intensive process. Agribusiness GrainCorp does it well and has been doing it for many years, but eventually found that multiple sites and ageing equipment made the process inefficient and increasingly costly. It also didn’t demonstrate a commitment to sustainability.

It was time to invest in the future, consolidate operations close to the oilseed growing regions in Victoria, and upgrade to more environmentally sustainable and efficient technology. GrainCorp planned to decommission the coal fired boiler at the Murarrie plant, consolidate oil refining operations in Numurkah, and upgrade the West Footscray plant to a world-class food processing plant to also manufacture retail spreads, bakery fats and shortenings.

Coordination and good planning was the secret to a smooth transition. We embraced the challenge, established a project management office (PMO), and managed seven different work streams, design coordination, environmental support, services design and construction management to make it happen.

The commitment to new technology paid off – we supported GrainCorp to secure a Clean Technology (CTIP) grant, and $14.9 million was awarded to enable investment in energy efficient equipment. We also supported GrainCorp through the post project measurement and verification period, which demonstrated a reduction of over 25% in carbon emissions. This result ensured GrainCorp received the full funding amount and provided a plan towards further improvements and a sustainable future.