DevTech Holdings

For nearly 30 years, DevTech Holdings (DevTech) has provided engineering design and development for polyethylene terephthalate (P.E.T.) bottle manufacturing, as well as production of preforms and bottles. Many foods and beverages on grocery store shelves are packaged in P.E.T. bottles or containers. Manufacturers like them for their safety and versatility. Consumers like them for their light weight, shatter-proof texture, and recyclability.

DevTech’s four facilities encompass two manufacturing plants (an Amherst, NH plant that produces plastic preforms, and a Milford, NH facility that produces plastic bottles) and warehouses in Merrimack and Nashua, NH. DevTech’s 135 employees (doubled from three years ago) produce millions of bottles each year for companies all over the world.

Realizing that its operations are energy intensive, DevTech has partnered with Eversource in New Hampshire since 2002. Since then, DevTech has completed 15 efficiency projects. Total annual savings are approximately 2.9 million kWh, or about $351,000. With the average life of the projects at 14 years, the annual savings translate to more than 40.9 million lifetime kWh savings.

DevTech’s most recent project involves the expansion of its Milford facility. Along with new, faster machinery, the expansion included a new, high-efficiency air compressor, which replaced two older compressors that ran at much lower efficiency levels. Future projects include replacing at least one of DevTech’s older resin dryers with new higher efficiency units, and adding an injection molding machine that reduces energy by using a robot for unloading.

DevTech’s commitment to efficiency spreads throughout its facilities. Beyond energy savings, DevTech is also committed to sustainability. Every scrap from production is collected and sold as recycled material. DevTech also collects and recycles all inter-plant packaging materials, cardboard, plastic bags, pallet banding material, and used machine oil.

For DevTech, the advantages of efficiency stretch beyond energy and financial savings. In an industry where margins are measured in pennies, energy improvements have supported margins that have allowed DevTech to expand its operations in an extremely competitive field. This is one of the main reasons for the company’s impressive double-digit annual growth during the past six years.

Just as the high quality of DevTech’s bottles contributes to its business success, a profound commitment to energy efficiency contributes to its operating success. In the immortal words of former Police front-man Sting, DevTech has a “message in a bottle.” Energy efficiency is more than just good for a business; it can also play a vital role in its success.