ATCHISON, KS, Dec. 2, 2004 (PRNewswire-FirstCall) -- The board of MGP Ingredients Inc. today approved two new capital projects valued at $3.6 million that are designed to improve operational cost efficiencies in energy and waste treatment...
The board approved approximately $1.8 million for the installation of additional equipment that is expected to result in further energy savings at the company's distillery operations in Pekin, Ill. This project is in addition to a previously announced $3 million energy-savings project that is already underway at the Pekin distillery and which is slated for completion by mid 2005. The board also approved approximately $1.8 million for new equipment at MGPI's Atchison plant to reduce the flow of residual starch material from the company's wheat starch processing operations to its wastewater treatment facility.
According to Randy Schrick, vice president of manufacturing and engineering, the new project at Pekin "should help to lower the amount of energy that is currently required for producing our mix of fuel grade and food grade alcohol. This is in line with our strategy of being the most efficient producer of high quality alcohol products." Schrick added that the Atchison project "will not only pay for itself in lower waste water treatment costs, but will also increase our potential for increasing additional specialty starch products." Both projects are scheduled to be completed in July, 2005, Schrick noted.
In business for more than half a century, MGP Ingredients Inc., is a leader in production of natural ingredients derived from wheat. It has fully integrated processing facilities in Atchison, Kan., and Pekin, Ill., and at a protein and starch mixing plant in Kansas City, Kan.
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