Case: 62% lower energy consumption when shredding poultry processing by-products

28 August 2026 | VOGELSANG

• Focus on sustainability
• Food Processing
• Water and Energy

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At Consorzio Gatteo Proteine in Italy, by-products from poultry processing are converted into animal meal used in pet food. Production runs 24 hours a day, six days a week, placing high demands on capacity and operational reliability.

The challenge

The previous shredding process consisted of three shredders and consumed approximately 650 kWh per day. The system was also sensitive to foreign materials and required 5–10 hours of maintenance per week, carried out by one or two employees.

The solution

The three existing shredders were replaced by two RedUnit XRL industrial shredders installed in parallel. The solution normally processes 10–12 tonnes of by-products per hour and handles peak loads of up to 20 tonnes per hour.

Monolithic rotors, high torque and automatic reversing make the industrial shredders robust when handling foreign materials. The parallel installation also ensures high operational reliability and the required capacity throughout production.

The result

Following the installation, energy consumption in the shredding process fell from approximately 650 to 250 kWh per day – a reduction of 62%. After one year of operation, the two industrial shredders had not required a single maintenance intervention.

Consorzio Gatteo Proteine has gained a simpler and more robust process with high capacity, significantly lower energy consumption and reduced maintenance requirements.