At a recent compressed air audit at plastic molding plant we found that bad design of compressed air system caused a 500t molding machine to produce scrap, unpredictably, from time to time. Client has just acquired this machine for $1.2mln to meet high throughput demand of their automotive client. With this scrap level they [...]
Our UK colleague Vilnis Vesma produced a funny article on how to waste energy. I republish it with his permission. Please note invitation to training at the end. This article is based on something Vilnis Vesma produced for a group of energy champions that he had been training. It was intended as a [...]
Energy is invisible. And so is energy waste. But it still costs. Often a lot. How to make energy waste visible in the boardroom? Here is a fast, simple and no-cost tool to assess how much energy your plant wastes Fast – takes 15 minutes, Simple – no research needed, plain English, no calculations [...]
I have recently come across a recommendation to shift production load of a big injection moulding machine to reduce demand during forecasted provincial peaks. If machine is loaded during day and not loaded during night and electricity is cheaper during night, then it seems like a no-brainer. I am not convinced in validity of [...]
A mere 1 month after an Energy Management Information System (EMIS) project was postponed ‘due to other priorities’ our client’s plant has stopped for 3 days. About $500,000 lost in pre-holidays food product sales. Not to count costs of avoidable urgent repairs and value of lost trust from clients. Why did plant stop? Boiler [...]
Ever wondered what should you realistically expect from a particular efficiency project? I found an answer in a well-written white paper from EATON. The paper explains what results can be expected from different efficiency measures and what claims are just myths. Most of what is stated for commercial facilities is true for an industrial [...]
Does your CFO say that energy savings are too small to bother? Here is a simple way to show how savings on energy translate into profit and production volume. Energy cost reduction increases profit. How much product should be shipped to generate the same profit? To find this out, divide energy cost reduction by [...]
When you have a situation to resolve at you plant - you can find a quick reference or advice at Plant Services . Site holds an extensive collection of short articles on various topics around plant management. Materials are free, though some advertisement comes along. While searching for somewhat scarce resources about industrial energy [...]
If you aim to get the most value from energy management, lots of materials are available to help. Through years of search and study I have come across several sources that I can honestly recommend. A practical book, written in simple language and containing lots of energy wisdom - "The Industrial Energy Harvest: Managing [...]
Effective energy management starts with management, not with engineering. Managing energy has no meaning if it does not contribute to what your plant is doing. However profitable a project is, if it does not contribute to production, quality or safety, it will always be assessed on the basis of simple payback, like as if [...]
