General News
7 March, 2024
Project to double Sonac’s output nearing completion
Sonac’s local Maryborough facility is one step closer to completing its $17 million expansion on production capabilities and waste management. The installation of a new wastewater treatment plant and box drying equipment is estimated to nearly...
Sonac’s local Maryborough facility is one step closer to completing its $17 million expansion on production capabilities and waste management.
The installation of a new wastewater treatment plant and box drying equipment is estimated to nearly double the facility’s ability to turn blood waste from abattoirs to protein powders for animal consumption to 55,000 tonnes per annum.
The expansion will also include a new sludge drying area, a new truck entry point with security gates and the sealing of roads inside the premises.
Sonac managing director Simon Cox said he is glad to see the multi-year project almost be completed.
“The process has been a long one and has been challenged by chain issues due to COVID,” he said.
“We would have liked to have it done by the end of 2023, that was the original timeframe, we are now going to be finishing up in the middle of 2024 and the [new entry and resealing the roads] will have to take a little bit longer.”
Mr Cox said the upgrades are necessary to make Sonac a more sustainable and efficient business.
“Prior to this expansion, we could not take anymore supply in — we had customers knocking on the door that we had to turn away,” he said.
“We had to operate around the clock and the only day we had off was Christmas to keep up with the demand of the pet food, animal feed and aqua feed industries.
“With the new box dryer and the new waste water treatment plant, everything that comes in we can handle and we can keep moving through.
“It also allows us to develop a much nicer looking site, when I drive past, I see a big tin shed with a bit of dust and dilapidated fences, I’d like to make the place a lot more attractive with some gardens, sealing the roads and just make it a more desirable place.
Mr Cox said the upgrades will also be beneficial for Sonac’s current workforce, as he aims to make the site a desirable workplace for current and future employees.
“The [work] environment is generally getting better as we have been here since 2012 and my wish is that we keep improving every year,” he said.
“If we can become safer, cleaner, faster and more efficient, we become more desirable as a workforce then we should be able to bring in people and not lose as many.
“I have always got the ambition to be the employer of choice and to be the employer of choice you have got to have a few things going for you.
“It’s not just pay, it’s obviously conditions, safety, the ability to grow your career, training and all those kind of things.”
Sonac is also seeking further development to their site, with plans to remove the settling ponds at the back of the factory.
Mr Cox said the proposedworks would ensure a more efficient and odorless waste management process.
“Those settling ponds to me are old fashioned — it is a big space of land that is dedicated to holding water that is meant to evaporate, and it never seems to evaporate,” he said.
“We have tentative approval to move ahead and try and remove those and that means taking control of our waste streams and handling them ourselves more proactively rather than wait for nature toevaporate the water.”