Key Considerations for Retort Room Revitalization

Retorts have exceptionally long service lives and since the equipment in older canneries has been paid for many times over, when does it make sense to invest in new retorts and state-of-the-art control technology?

There are two primary and a number of secondary motivations – drivers – for revitalizing a cannery. These are:

Primary

• Product demand outstripping capacity
• Growing inability for co-packers to maintain and/or expand the customer base

Secondary

• Incidental factors such as energy, safety, labor costs, obsolesce, or compliance issues

If these drivers are absent, the cannery in all likelihood will continue with its installed base of aging equipment and long running processes. If the drivers are there, managers at older canneries will often opt for the advantages of revitalization, which include increased capacity, improved sales, lower business risk, and decreased operational costs, typically in reduced labor. Understanding these drivers and what they mean for the organization will go a long way toward making informed decisions on revitalization.