MARCH 2020 ENERGY AUDITS
Festo’s Neil
Lewin outlines
three steps to
energy-efficient
operations
Festo took a three-stage approach to energy
savings, which are designed to create sustainable
change across the entirety of Factory 3. Lewin
explains how each of the three steps work:
1 Engagement
“As with any change project, it’s vital to get
your senior stakeholders excited and inspired from
the outset, so that they are willing to drive any
recommended actions forward. It’s human nature,
people need to feel ownership and see what’s in
it for them. At Festo, we achieve this through a
‘Seeing is Believing’ workshop with managers,
that shows step by step where real time cost
savings can be made through good practice.
“When managers see the potential for savings
of up to 80%, demonstrated on a simple system,
it’s easier for them to fully understand the
possibilities. A factory line tour after the workshop
provides an immediate opportunity to see the
potential reward and gain commitment.”
2Baseline measurements
“In the case of Factory 3, we measured air
consumption for the whole factory, and then ran
an energy audit of each individual line, when
running and when static. This established the
current baseline and gave us a breakdown of
consumption by specific area and machine. By
capturing photographic evidence of poor practice
and opportunities for improvement, we could
already see where savings could be made.
“A lot of companies do a leak detection audit
that tags leaks, but they are never fixed. Engineers
don’t have the time and don’t see the value,
particularly when there are other more pressing
priorities. But that little hissing noise in the
background could be costing thousands of pounds
a year.”
3 Engineers’ workshop
“To transfer both skill and knowledge to
Unilever engineers, the next step was a training
workshop designed to help those who work with
compressed air to:
● Understand the potential costs of wasted energy.
● Introduce practices to reduce leaks and
inappropriate use.
● Explain the need to set – and maintain –
optimal settings.
● Introduce tools to help engineers measure
and sustain a reduction in energy use.
● Build team confidence and a proactive approach
to energy efficiency.
“Again, engineers always spot new potential
savings on a walk down the factory line
immediately after the workshop.
“This workshop not only shows engineers the
potential cost savings, but also the impact that
inefficiencies might be having on their equipment.
For example, a factory might be running on 7 bar
pressure when the bulk of the equipment could
operate at 4. With a reduction in pressure in most
areas, everything will run as quickly but with less
force, wear and tear, noise and cost. This impacts
everything from health & safety
to longevity of equipment.”
Sustainable change
At the end of the workshop
process, an audit report and
recommendations, focusing
on three or four key areas, is
produced and shared in a final
workshop. This includes the
calculations of any potential
savings identified.
In the case of Factory 3,
Festo’s initial observations
identified possible savings of
over £85,000 per annum, with
no new equipment needed – just
the investment of the engineers’
time. The full report later showed
that £140,000 per annum could
be saved: almost the target for
the whole Port Sunlight site.
Now, when new equipment is
ordered, energy efficient design
is now an important part of the
specification.
Accountability is an
important way to make any
change sustainable. We know
that assigning engineers to
specific areas and getting them
to present back six to eight
weeks after an audit is highly
effective. At Unilever, apprentice
Luke Hodgers, took a particular
interest and has taken on
the role of project lead. “The
workshop opened my eyes to the
savings we could make,” he says.
“It was a real lightbulb moment.
Energy saving, recycling and
regeneration are all important
for the future, that’s why I
was keen to take on the role of
project lead.”
Managers, engineers and
apprentices from other factories
at Port Sunlight have now taken
part in the ‘Seeing is Believing’
workshop, creating a wider team
of advocates to rollout savings
across the Unilever site.
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