5 Proven Energy Saving Tips in Manufacturing

Manufacturing organizations are doing their best to cut energy costs to save money and be more green. It isn’t easy but it is necessary!

by Isabell Berry

I think the key is to constantly be searching for new ways to save. Each measure will save a relatively small percentage of your energy costs, 2%, 3% but when you add them all up you are looking at significant amounts of money as well as CO2 emissions reductions.

In 2020 there were 35 billion metric tons of CO2 emissions created worldwide. 2% of that is 7 million metric tons which is equal to the weight of 6 of the world's biggest natural gas drilling platforms or 1,750,000 hippos or 70,000 Boeing 757’s. So 2% is huge. Now let’s look at some ways to save energy.

1. Well of course install steam trap monitors. That’s a given. Installing the world’s best steam trap monitoring solution - Pulse - is fast, easy, inexpensive and saves you money very quickly. How could you not do it? With the rate of failure of steam traps (through no fault of their own, I mean they are under a lot of pressure) it just doesn’t make sense not to do it. It’s like buying a cell phone and then not getting a cover for it, or only having one pair of socks that you wear every day. If your building is heated, or your equipment is powered using steam, it makes even more sense to monitor steam traps to ensure maximum production line efficiency.

2. Replace all your old halogen and incandescent lighting with LED. On average, LEDs consume 80% less energy and last 25 times longer. They come in many different sizes and shapes and are so much better in so many ways that it is getting harder and harder to find non LED bulbs. This is an excellent example of a technology that has reached the tipping point. The savings are just too good to ignore, so out with the old, in with the new.

3. Control building heating and cooling. This includes a variety of smart solutions including limiting drafts, making sure doors are closed when not in use, moderating temperature fluctuations (some buildings have their ac set very low in summer and heat very high in winter, it is healthier and more efficient to keep this temperature range less extreme). When employees are not in the building these can be turned to even more of a power saver mode. Also make sure you clean or replace filters regularly to ensure the system is running at top capacity.

4. Reduce Waste. Find ways to re-use offcuts or to incorporate recycled materials into your processes. Packaging is a huge cost for many manufacturing companies, more and more organizations are finding ways to make their packaging out of recycled or compostable materials, to make their packaging less bulky, and to melt or grind offcuts and put them back into the packaging creation process. It has been found that excessive packaging in the food & bev industry for example, often does not lead to longer shelf life and is damaging to consumer opinion. If you can find a way to reduce packaging you can market that fact and use it as a differentiator that is becoming more and more important in people’s buying choices.

5. Audit your supply chain and distribution channels. There are many points of wasted energy in most supply chains. It may be a time consuming process to look at your supply chain, but it can be very productive. Comparing the cost savings of one vendor of a component may very likely be offset with transportation and logistic gains you can get from another, and coming to the negotiation table armed with this kind of data may be an excellent bargaining chip in getting a better rate. Buying local is another way to gain favour with many consumers and other businesses as well. It makes your supply chain less vulnerable, by diversifying your options and making it impervious to the volatile fuel market as well as extreme weather and/or political conditions.

Saving energy brings many rewards. Use that money to reinvest in your company, feel good that you are helping the planet and then market that fact to your buyers as well as investors and vendors. Being green is a trend that is not going away and in fact it is gaining momentum and influence across the board. It’s win win.

To see how Pulse can save you money click here for a demo

Top 6 Predictions for IoT in 2023

We’re always trying to stay on top of the latest in IoT. This is what we see coming down the pipe (pun intended):

by Isabell Berry

MarketsAndMarkets projects the global IoT market will more than double from 2021 to 2026, growing from just over $300 billion to over $650 billion. I see many reasons for this including the widespread acceptance in the market, no longer is it just early adopters. This technology is now generally accepted as necessary and beneficial and the devices and sensors are now often very reliable and, when partnered with AI to manage the huge amounts of data, is very practical. Here are my top 6 predictions for 2023:

1. Saving Money: As lending rates continue to increase globally, organizations will be forced to find ways to save. With limited capital investment, IoT sensors are an obvious choice. Sensors help to save money through load balancing, performance analytics and failure alerts. Plus they save money in labour costs as they can replace manual inspections and assist with maintenance scheduling.

2. Sustainability: Companies will continue to look at environmental initiatives, feeling marketplace pressure to green up. We see the massive energy savings and CO2 emission reductions that they experience by installing Pulse monitors on their steam traps. If you multiply that by the utilization of other IoT sensors, you see how organizations can make huge inroads into their sustainability mandates. And we see more and more consumers and businesses making vendor choices based on environmental policies so the benefits are exponential.

3. Safety: IoT sensors will be integral to maintenance modeling resulting in increased safety in inaccessible areas. Not only do IoT sensors increase safety by alleviating the need for manual inspections in dangerous or inaccessible areas, but real time exception reporting and maintenance modeling to ensure timely interventions will help to reduce emergency situations and accidents.

4. Security: IoT solution security will be stronger, with a focus on ease of deployment without increasing risk. Limiting the need for human intervention means fewer opportunities for unwanted access to IoT systems. Add to that the increased focus on encryption and certificate based authentication, and utilization of separate LoRaWAN networks, and we will see almost impenetrable systems in place (I say almost because well you know, nothing is impenetrable, just ask the Mission Impossible team).

5. Supply chains: Supply chains will continue to add connected devices, allowing them to react quickly to upstream and downstream changes. The story of 2022 will have to be the supply chain, we all saw how vulnerable it is and how maddening it can be to be reliant on it connecting seamlessly. The key to success in 2023 will be in being able to quickly notice and react to changes (breaks).

6. Predictive Analytics: AI (Artificial Intelligence), ML (Machine learning) and big data will be partying with IoT to increase efficiency and productivity. Now that we have a handle on collecting and interpreting absolutely massive amounts of data, the next step is to use that to be proactive and predictive and preferably do that in a non-human format. This predictive analytics will help to be more efficient, more productive and more accurate in determining output as well as scheduling human and non-human resources and so much more.

2023 is a new year and an exciting time. The IoT is a new frontier and hopefully we will know how to balance being connected with being able to disconnect and trust that technology can help us to focus on what's most important.

To see how Pulse can help click here for a demo

CASE STUDY: Sustainability Rebate for Manufacturer

Challenge:

A manufacturing facility had several hundred sensors in their plant. The plant manager loved the idea of automating the monitoring of their steam traps but was having a difficult time getting budget for the project.

He knew how much time it took to do inspections and was pleased with the thought of potentially saving between $50,000 and $250,000 in energy costs per year but submitting a range of saving was not tangible enough for his management.

The cost savings as well as time and energy add up to a significant amount.

Solution:

Once the rebate amount was authorized he got the go ahead immediately to install Pulse monitors on all steam traps. It only took 2 days to install the entire system and they are now monitored in addition to tracking a number of other mechanical processes on the floor.

During the installation of the monitors they found a failed trap and since then they were notified of another failure. They know they would not have found either failure for many months and love the idea that the system is running more efficiently. Once the system had been in place for some time they realize how many other benefits they derive from remote monitoring of their system.

“I think it’s great that our gov’t has put these incentives in place. Every company should participate!”

Benefits:

• They were eligible for a state environmental rebate of $200 per sensor so the install cost very little

• They are calculating the amount of energy they are saving and did not have to shut down the system or spend much time installing at all, the system has paid for itself in a very short time

• Energy savings measures and sustainability initiatives are now part of their company KPIs

Download Case Study PDF