Smart Manufacturing = Energy savings and Efficiency improvements

If your energy bill is $500K per month, what would a 10% savings in energy look like at the end of the year? This can be achieved with Automation equipment such as:

• VFD's in place of DOL type motor starters on centrifugal applications like pumps and fans.
• Automated Process controls as opposed to operator dependant control of a process.
• Upgrading from DC to AC motor controls for variable speed applications.
• Replacing Hydraulic control with Electric. 
• Replacing Pneumatic control with electric. 
• adding pressure based closed loop variable speed to screw type compressors
• adding air speed based closed loop variable speed to large dust collector fans. 

What if your machine that produced 1000 units per shift could produce double that with some Automation to increase efficiency, Motor control, and procedural changes? Some of these things are already mentioned on this page, but some other examples are: 

Downtime reduction efforts

Bottleneck study to determine maximum production rate possible with existing machinery / process. 

Addition of safety components to reduce cycle times while better protecting the operator.

using a VFD with an active front end, during braking, energy can be pushed back on the grid instead of being dissipated as heat. Applications that could benefit from this are:

• Unwinders in web and wire processes
• Cranes
• Elevators
• Tensioning devices for wire and web processes.

There are rebates available from utility companies for energy saving measures such as:

• Installing a VFD on a pump or fan that is currently being started by DOL starter.
• installing energy efficient lighting
• installing measures that reduce the consumption of compressed air.
• Insulating the barrel of a large injection molding machine to reduce heat loss. 

Utility Rebates come in the form of a Check for the agreed or prescribed amount upon completion of the project.

Energy credits come in the form of tax credits/deductions for implementing Energy savings measures. 

In many cases, you can implement an energy saving measure with an ROI that is less than 2 years.