When managers at Colteryahn Dairy in Pittsburgh started to discuss equipment upgrades for the family-owned and -operated business, they realized they needed an expert to help them decide how to replace old and inefficient technology – some of which dated back to the 1960s. They connected with the Pennsylvania Technical Assistance Program (PennTAP) at Penn State and today, the dairy facility in the city neighborhood of Carrick is saving almost $24,000 annually in energy costs.
“PennTAP's engineering expertise has helped to level the playing field against larger companies,” said Carl Colteryahn III, president of Colteryahn Dairy. “The quality of our milk has improved as the newer technology in pasteurizing is not only more energy efficient, but provides a longer period of product freshness than older technology was capable of doing.”
Colteryahn worked with Roger Price, PennTAP senior technical specialist, to acquire small business grants from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to help subsidize the costs of installing a new, energy-efficient evaporative condenser and pasteurizer. PennTAP also recommended and helped to implement a lighting system upgrade.
“Every dollar that we help save on energy goes directly to the bottom line to increase profits and improve cash flow to re-invest in the company,” said Price, who’s based in the Pittsburgh area. “Colteryahn Dairy is working in a very competitive market, especially considering that the price of milk is controlled such that available profit margin is very small.”
This is just one example of how PennTAP helps Pennsylvania companies every day. According to its annual report, PennTAP provided 272 cases of technical assistance to clients across the commonwealth in 2012. Clients have reported more than $9.6 million in economic impact and 156 jobs created or retained.
Also, Penn State students provided more than 4,100 hours of assistance to businesses to improve operations and processes.
“PennTAP is proud to serve Pennsylvania industries while also allowing Penn State students to enhance their educational experiences with real-world challenges and solutions,” said Heather Fennessey, director of PennTAP. “Students often have innovative ideas and enjoy the responsibility of carrying a project to completion.”
Colteryahn interacted with student interns from Penn State Greater Allegheny when they visited the dairy to observe operations and collect data.
“It was a wonderful experience to have the students in the plant collecting information, see the calculations and have them present solutions to a real-world problem,” Colteryahn said.
Businesses interested in PennTAP assistance can call 814-865-0427 or click here for more information.
The Pennsylvania Technical Assistance Program (PennTAP) engages, guides and empowers businesses and organizations throughout the Commonwealth and beyond by providing objective and experience-based technical and workforce solutions that enable clients to succeed and thrive. PennTAP is part of Penn State Outreach, which serves more than 5 million people each year, in all 67 Pennsylvania counties, all 50 states and more than 100 countries worldwide.