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Energy Management at Visteon
Compressed Air Best Practices® Magazine interviewed Jennifer Meier, Global Energy & Engineering Manager, at Visteon Corporation.
There are three main segments in Visteon's climate group are climate systems, powertrain cooling and engine induction. Climate systems include refrigeration compressors, fluid transport, heat exchangers, battery cooling modules, climate controls, auto defog/demist systems, and multi-zone HVAC systems. Powertrain cooling systems include heat exchangers (radiators, condensers, charge-air, exhaust-gas), airflow management, and diesel and hybrid thermal management. Engine induction includes air induction systems and intake manifolds.
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Festo Optimizes Compressed Air Consumption at Volkswagen
By Sachin Kambli, Product Manager, Festo Corporation
Many passenger cars on roads in Germany contain efficiency concepts that make a considerable contribution to lowering emissions. Automotive manufacturers such as VW have gone even further than this, by applying efficiency strategies in their own value added chain. Because the benefits of pneumatics in automotive industry production processes have seen pneumatic actuation win over other drive technologies, efficient use of compressed air plays a key role in increasing energy efficiency.
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A Compressed Air Checklist for Waterborne Paint Conversion
By Bill Kennedy, Mattei Compressors
Encouraged by government regulators, the conversion to waterborne paints is now moving into the collision repair and refinishing industry. The conversion to waterborne paints is proving to have implications for the compressed air systems in the shops. This document provides a checklist of compressed air system topics to ensure a successful conversion to waterborne paints.
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Honda of America Mfg. Fine Tunes Compressed Air System
By Rod Smith, Compressed Air Best Practices®
“We are close to becoming a zero-landfill facility. Zero-waste is the goal,” Mike explained. Company literature on the Green Factory initiative, coordinated in North America by Karen Heyob, Associate Chief Engineer for Honda of America Mfg., Inc. , says the initiative is designed to reduce the impact of Honda’s manufacturing operations on the environment. This includes efforts to reduce the energy intensity of production, as well as initiatives to reduce waste generation, air emissions, and water use at all of the company’s manufacturing facilities in North America.
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A View From Europe. Challenge Convention: Compressor Management Systems Applied in the Automotive Industry
By Nicolas De Deken, EnergAir
“First there are the old conventions. The majority of compressor houses still employ fixed speed compressors and a cascaded pressure switch control system. This arrangement will be familiar to many, but it is outdated and inefficient, and needs to be changed. There is a comfort factor with familiar technology, which is exacerbated by constant time pressure due to other day-today responsibilities and a lack of information and good advice on what can be achieved.”  
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Tier 1 Automotive Plant Saves $218,000 in Energy Costs
By Hank Van Ormer, Air Power USA
A Tier 1 automotive plant was spending $364,259 annually on electricity to operate their compressed air system. This figure was expected to increase as electric rates were forecasted to rise from their current average of 7.16 cents per kWh. Our firm, Air Power USA, conducted a full supply and demand-side compressed air system assessment. The set of projects recommended by the assessment, would reduce these energy costs by $218,670 or 60%.
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New EPA 6H Paint Standard Drives Hydrovane Compressed Air Upgrade. Compact Kars Converts to Waterborne Paints.
By Rod Smith, Compressed Air Best Practices®
The new paint specification, for Mercedes Benz Collison Repair Centers like Compact Kars, is for waterborne paints. “The new waterborne paints contain only two (2) pounds of volatile organic compounds (VOC) compared to 5.65 pounds per gallon of VOC’s present in solvent-based paints,” according to Mr. Elder. “For this reason, Mercedes Benz is asking all certified facilities to convert to waterborne paints.”
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Ford Reduces Global Energy Consumption
Ford has reduced global energy consumption by 44 percent since 2000 and reduced energy consumption per vehicle by 17.7 percent during the same period. In 2009, Ford improved energy efficiency in its North American operations by 4.6 percent, resulting in savings of approximately $15 million.
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Honda Issues 2010 North American Environmental Report
Honda released its sixth annual report on the company's environmental footprint in North America, and efforts being made to minimize the environmental impact of Honda's operations in the region. The report also includes a detailed review of the various technology approaches that Honda is taking in its efforts to address the issue of global climate change, perhaps the most serious and far-reaching environmental issue facing society today.  
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Greener Manufacturing at General Motors
GM is one of the leading users of renewable energy in the manufacturing sector. We use energy from solar, hydro and landfill gas resources. And around the globe we have reduced our overall energy usage globally by more than 40 percent between 2005 and 2009. The amount of energy we’ve saved from these reductions is enough to heat and power 1,300,000 homes.
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Nissan Green Program
By 2010 we aim to reduce CO2 emissions from our plants to 7% lower than 2005 levels (globally, per vehicle). Almost all CO2 emissions from production processes are caused by the use of fossil fuels for the energy we consume. To produce vehicles using smaller amounts of energy, the Nissan group worldwide is working together to improve technology and devise better operation methods. We will continue to reduce CO2 by introducing the best methods available wherever we can. 
We also make use of wind and solar power, and other natural energies as suited to local conditions.
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