Energy Manager

20 Years of Case Studies: Plants Sharing Best Practices

Edited by Troy Dreier, Senior Editor, Compressed Air Best Practices® 

For 20 years, Compressed Air Best Practices® Magazine has published articles focused on helping manufacturers reduce power demand, lower water consumption, and improve the performance of compressed air, cooling, blower and industrial vacuum systems. In this article, we highlight a sampling of those stories across the following industries:

  • Plastics and Packaging
  • Food and Beverage
  • Automotive and Transportation
  • Cement, Building Materials, and Mining
  • Metals, Pulp, and Paper
  • Pharmaceuticals, Healthcare, and Research
  • Wastewater Treatment
Read Full Story

A Strategic Approach to Efficient and Reliable Compressed Air Systems

By Kurt A. Kniss, P.E., C.E.M., former Innovation Engineer with the Equipment and Process Innovation Group at Shaw Industries, Inc.Shaw Industries, Inc.

As a corporate engineer responsible for supporting operations, I write this article from the perspective of the plant/maintenance engineer who is responsible for the on-line operation of the compressed air system. This article can also help suppliers of compressed air systems gain some understanding of how their customers prioritize plant operations.
[ Read Full Story ]

Shining the Spotlight on Manufacturing Sustainability in Tennessee

By Mike Grennier, Compressed Air Best Practices® Magazine

“What really drives the TGSP program is that we celebrate how manufacturers throughout the state of Tennessee do more than anything the EPA or TDEC ask them to do as far as regulations,” said Glapa. “We have 7,000 manufacturers in Tennessee who can benefit from hearing and learning about these efforts. The idea behind TGSP is to give manufacturers who are environmental leaders a place to shine.”
[ Read Full Story ]

Chicago Heights Steel Saves $215,000 Annually in Energy Costs

By Mike Grennier, Contributing Editor, Compressed Air Best Practices® Magazine

Chicago Heights Steel, Chicago Heights, Ill., leveraged an advanced data monitoring system and adopted a demand-based compressor air management approach to save 2.5 million kWh and $215,037 per year in energy costs. With an incentive of $188, 714 from local utility ComEd, the project delivered a payback of 2.4 months.
[ Read Full Story ]

How has 3M Canada Cut Energy Use by 32%?

By Anatoli Naoumov, Managing Director, GreenQ Partners

How does 3M work with energy? What can other companies learn from their experience? I brought these questions to Andrew Hejnar, Energy Manager of 3M Canada, and the results of our conversation are shared in this interview article.
[ Read Full Story ]

YoCream and Blount Save with the Energy Trust of Oregon

By Compressed Air Best Practices® Magazine

Since 2002, Energy Trust of Oregon has saved and generated 728 average megawatts of electricity and 52 million annual therms of natural gas. This is enough energy to power Multnomah and Washington counties while heating Deschutes County homes. ETO has saved enough energy equal to the output of a power plant and reduced reliance on fossil fuels. In total, they have invested $1.5 billion to save customers more than $6.9 billion on their energy bills over time. They have also added $5.7 billion to the local economy, including $1.7 billion in wages, $312 million in small business income and employment equal to 4,700 full-time jobs lasting a decade.
[ Read Full Story ]

Compressed Air is a Star at Ball Corporation

By Compressed Air Best Practices® Magazine

Paying close attention to compressed air use is paramount for identifying potential energy-saving projects. The engineering team at Ball Corporation has been well aware of this fact for years. An active member in the Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR® program, Ball Corporation scrutinizes manufacturing processes to maximize the energy efficiency of compressed air systems in each of its plants.
[ Read Full Story ]

Show Report: 2017 WEEC Chiller & Compressed Air Control Technology

By Rod Smith, Compressed Air Best Practices® Magazine

The WEEC is the largest energy conference and technology expo held in the U.S. specifically for business, industrial and institutional energy users. Widely known for its recognized energy certification programs, including the Certified Energy Manager CEM® program, the AEE has led the development of the fields of energy engineering and energy management since its’ founding in 1977.
[ Read Full Story ]

Energy Management Considerations with Today’s Drive Systems

by Michael Perlman, Marketing Programs Manager, Siemens Industry

While it is valid to state that energy efficiency is defined as the same level of production being achieved at an overall lower energy cost, it is equally important for today’s machine builders and automation engineers alike to remember than an energy-efficient system can actually translate into higher productivity. This is achievable through a comprehensive approach to energy management.
[ Read Full Story ]

Don’t Skip the Most Important Meeting of Your Energy Project

By John Molnar, Rogers Machinery Company

In many parts of the country—and especially the Pacific Northwest—interest has surged in completing energy-saving compressed air system upgrades. The financial assistance from incentive programs, combined with the falling costs of efficiency-increasing technology, has made these projects very attractive to all those involved. The benefits for society, power companies and customers are immense.
[ Read Full Story ]

Innovative Energy Program Assessments at Darigold

By Compressed Air Best Practices® Magazine

Imagine a dairy farm. Do pictures of idyllic pastures populated by grazing, happy cows come to mind? What about the not-so-idyllic image of farmers milking cows by hand? Modern dairy farms work a little differently. Darigold, a farmer-owned dairy co-op located in the Pacific Northwest, has the happy cows, but production is more sophisticated. The company has eleven state-of-the-art production facilities churning out high-quality dairy products at mind-boggling rates. Milk, for instance, is produced to the tune of 2.6 million gallons per day. To maintain efficient production at scale, Darigold also has an innovative energy management program in place.
[ Read Full Story ]

Nissan Curbs Compressed Air to Achieve Energy Savings

By Compressed Air Best Practices® Magazine

Nissan North America operates on a massive scale. The company’s powertrain assembly plant in Decherd, Tennessee, alone encompasses 1.1 million square feet, and manufactures engines for 14 different vehicles. The facility also handles crankshaft forgings, cylinder block castings, and other machining applications. Over the course of one year, the powertrain plant churns out approximately 1.4 million engines, an equal number of crankshaft forgings, and 456,000 cylinder block castings.
[ Read Full Story ]

CalPortland Energy Management Earns Another ENERGY STAR Award

By Compressed Air Best Practices® Magazine

Making cement is an energy-intensive process. In a cement plant, the electrical energy load can reach up to 25 MW, consuming 185 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually. In addition, the plant consumes a large amount of coal and natural gas. CalPortland is an enormous producer of cement, concrete, aggregates and asphalt. With 80 facilities spanning five states across the western U.S., one might logically assume that CalPortland consumes a lot of energy.
[ Read Full Story ]

Energy Management at Intertape Polymer Group

By Rod Smith, Compressed Air Best Practices® Magazine.

Compressed Air Best Practices® Magazine interviewed Michael Jones, Corporate Energy Team Leader, from Intertape Polymer Group (IPG). Intertape Polymer Group (IPG) is a manufacturer of tapes, films, woven fabrics, and complementary packaging systems for industrial and consumer use. The company operates 10 production plants and employs approximately 1,800 people. IPG has developed a robust energy management program by using ENERGY STAR energy management tools and actively participating in the ENERGY STAR partnership. IPG is receiving ENERGY STAR recognition for the growth of its energy program and leadership as a medium-sized manufacturer.
[ Read Full Story ]

Global Energy Management at Corning

Compressed Air Best Practices® interviewed Patrick Jackson, Director of Global Energy Management.

This is our first time receiving the award. We were hopeful we would receive it because we thought we achieved 23 out of the 23 attributes defined by the guidelines. Additionally, since the program was launched, GEM’s management practices have saved Corning more than $328 million in cumulative energy costs.
[ Read Full Story ]

ENERGY STAR® Sustains Excellence

By Rod Smith, Compressed Air Best Practices® Magazine

The ENERGY STAR Awards are EPA’s highest honors for superior energy efficiency, and several award categories exist. EPA’s ENERGY STAR Industrial Partners could receive either Sustained Excellence or Partner of the Year in the Energy Management category. These awards go to organizations for adopting a continuous energy management strategy across the organization’s entire portfolio of buildings and plants and for communicating the value of ENERGY STAR and energy management broadly.
[ Read Full Story ]

Sustainable Productivity at Atlas Copco

By Rod Smith, Compressed Air Best Practices® Magazine

The story of Atlas Copco’s 140-year commitment to innovation. When thinking about innovation during the past century, the mind immediately wanders to consumer-facing brands that make products that are experienced by users – like a mobile computer and videophone that fits in our hands or the technology applications through which almost all modern business is conducted.
[ Read Full Story ]

Measuring Energy Savings at Verallia

By Rod Smith, Compressed Air Best Practices® Magazine

Compressed Air Best Practices interviewed Gregory Rhames, Asset Reliability Manager/Energy Manager at Verallia. As background, Verallia is the packaging division of Saint-Gobain. Verallia employs 15,500 people globally and makes about 25 billion glass bottles and jars each year. We employ 350 people at Madera where we produce about 1 million wine, champagne and sake bottles per day.
[ Read Full Story ]

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.
[ Read Full Story ]

Kellogg’s Eggo Decreases Energy Consumption by over 675,000 kWh

By Patricia Boyd, Ecos Air

This article describes a compressed air retrofit project implemented at Kellogg’s Eggo factory located in San Jose, California. Kellogg’s continues to realize both annual energy savings and quality improvements because of the upgrade. In addition, Kellogg’s received a substantial utility incentive from Pacific Gas and Electric Company, which was based on the achieved energy savings.
[ Read Full Story ]

Why is Positive Energy Important in the Workplace?

By Shari Bench

If you have chosen the privilege and responsibility to supervise others, how are you dealing with your negative employees? Negativity is contagious. It may seem as if dealing with negative people is easier to simply ignore them. However, it’s important to remember that many people are not aware of how negative energy is affecting them.
[ Read Full Story ]

FS-Compression Open for Business in Houston

A new compressed air sales and service company has opened for business in Stafford, Texas. FS-Compression Co., LLC is a direct sales and service company launched by Fusheng Group to support FS-Curtis and FS-Elliott compressed air system products for southern Texas and southwestern Louisiana.
[ Read Full Story ]

Do Your Meetings Sabotage Your Profits?

By Don Schmincke

It’s not that tracking performance is wrong, but there are other ways to issue status reports on projects more efficiently. Email, intranets, and old-fashioned paper can allow data to be absorbed more quickly than verbal presentations at meetings. Why not use the invaluable time in management meetings for what we wish we had more time for – solving problems?
[ Read Full Story ]

Corporate Sustainability Programs

More Articles ›

Utility Incentives

More Articles ›