Energy efficiency and operational continuity: the Granarolo project

Granarolo S.p.A. is the leading agro-industrial group in Italy’s dairy sector. With an integrated supply chain involving over a thousand farmers, the company directly manages all production stages, from raw materials to finished products. Present in more than 60 countries, Granarolo stands out for its commitment to quality, food safety, and environmental sustainability, offering a wide range of dairy and plant-based alternative products.

Ensuring high standards of energy efficiency and environmental sustainability in the complex industrial context of the dairy sector represented a significant challenge.
As Italy’s largest player in the field, Granarolo needed to:

• Reduce energy consumption related to steam and heat generation in production processes.
• Contain pollutant emissions in line with its sustainability targets.
• Maintain operational continuity throughout the entire plant upgrade process.
• Optimize the management of energy vectors (gas, electricity, steam, compressed air, and chilled water) through precise and centralized monitoring.

The intervention carried out by Cannon Bono in collaboration with Simbiosi brought a tangible improvement in the energy efficiency of Granarolo’s plant without compromising production continuity.

By replacing the thermal oil boilers with two SG1200 steam generators equipped with HE Smart technology, the plant’s efficiency significantly increased while pollutant emissions were reduced. The system, further enhanced with an atmospheric degasser and an advanced flue gas temperature control system, maximizes efficiency even under variable operating conditions.

The Loading Sharing System (LSS) — which intelligently manages generator operations, balancing thermal load distribution and maintaining stable steam pressure — played a key role. This not only reduced fuel consumption but also improved production process stability.

Moreover, adopting the OptiSpark monitoring system ensures full, real-time control over the entire plant, facilitating predictive management and continuous performance optimization.

All installation and commissioning activities were carefully planned to guarantee that the plant maintained full operational continuity during the upgrades. This approach eliminated downtime, minimizing the impact on daily production activities.

Overall, the project demonstrated how advanced technological solutions combined with careful planning can deliver measurable benefits in terms of efficiency, sustainability, and reliability.

Our supply

• Features: HE Smart
• Steam production: 12 t/h
• Design pressure: 12 barg
• Fuel: Natural Gas (prepared for up to 20% vol H₂)
• Ultra Low NO_x burner
• OptiSpark – Boiler control system
• LSS – Load Sharing System

• Up to 30 m³ water/hour
• 15 minutes hold-up time