Rob Williams displays some of the Eastern Embers’ wood pellets during a recent tour of the 50,000-tonne capacity Shubenacadie, N.S. pellet plant. metal pieces. All the bags that successful-ly pass through the metal detector are then sent to a Mollers North America automated palletizer. The palletized wood pellets are then grabbed via forklifts and placed and trucks for transport. “Any bags that contain metal get sent to the boiler for heating the building,” Wil-liams explains, adding that the pellet plant installed an in-floor pellet-fuelled hydronic heating system back in 2003. The plant also has six silos on site with 45 tons of capacity to handle any bulk pel-let orders. Although the plant still has many origi-nal parts from 20 years ago still functioning effectively today, the company does invest in the plant whenever needed. Two years ago the company installed a new Andritz pellet mill to increase capacity. “I think they’re a world-class supplier,” Landry says. “They’ve been great to deal with.” DUST SAFETY PEOPLE POWERED INNOVATION Employee retention has been one of the secrets to the success of Shaw Resources’ wood pellet operation in Shubenacadie. There are currently 10 employees operating at the plant, with that number increasing to 21 employees when the plant is running at peak production. Many of those employees have a huge amount of knowledge when it comes to running the plant, since they have worked there since its inception. “Some of the employees have been with us since Day 1,” Landry says. “You can’t re-place that kind of experience.” With an extremely knowledgeable and loyal staff and strong ties to the surrounding communities and its fibre suppliers, Shaw Resources’ Shubenacadie plant has posi-tioned itself to continue standing strong and fuelling Atlantic Canadians’ wood pel-let needs, while growing into international markets, well into the future. Beyond the operation, Shaw Resources works closely with retailers and appliance installers to keep up with the expectations of end-users. “People have choices so we recognize the need to be engaged to maximize on opportunities,” says Lindsay Veinotte, product marketing strategist for Shaw Resources. “We also want to make sure people understand the benefits of wood pellet heat compared to other heating al-ternatives.” Earlier this year, the company launched a new website for Eastern Embers and is building a presence on social media chan-nels. They are planning to launch a new bag design in the upcoming heating sea-son, coupled with a new 9.1-kg bag. “The new bag reflects why people want to burn wood pellets – warmth,” Veinotte says. • To help manage the dust produced by the operation, the company installed an Agro-vent dust collection system that sucks up dust at various stages of the production process. The staff also performs regular manual housecleaning practices to help control the dust during every 12-hour shift. Any fines collected are sent to the fuel hopper for drying fibre and through a one-kilometre pipe that sends them to the company’s on-site aggregates operation where they are used as boiler fuel for its sand drying operation. Shaw Resources’ most recent investment in its pellet plant in Shubenacadie, N.S. was the installation of a new Andritz pellet mill to increase capacity. Canadian BIOMASS 9
Canadian Biomass May-June 2017: Page 9
