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Lean green energy specialists from One NorthEast have helped a regional business make thousands of pounds worth of efficiency savings.
Engineers from the regional development agency’s Energy Resource Efficiency (ERE) programme have been working at the Geka Manufacturing plant in Tanfield Lea, County Durham, for the past five months.
Following an energy audit of the plant, engineers identified many areas where Geka Manufacturing could make efficiency savings, bringing in Air Technology Limited to help refine production processes.
As a result of the training provided the company has cut its carbon emissions by around 300 tonnes per year, reduced energy bills by 20% and will save the business over £35,000 a year.
Geka manufactures high quality cosmetics packaging for market leading brands using a process that involves receipt of raw materials, injection or blow-moulding, printing and final assembly.
Compressed air is an essential part of the process, and one of the largest users of electricity, accounting for almost 35% of site usage. An Energy Diagnostic carried out by ERE engineers identified compressed air as one of the areas where significant energy savings could be made.
ERE senior energy advisor, Allen Jones, said: “The plant had a number of issues with the reliability of air compressors, which were compromising production and adding significantly to maintenance expense. A further consideration was a planned increased in production of up to 30%, which was known to be more than the existing compressors could handle.
“The training given to the staff at Geka enabled them to source a new compressed air system which is set to save the company over £19,000 per year, while allowing for an increase in productivity, which the old system could not sustain.”
Raymond Oliver, managing director of Geka said: “The new system has proved to be a great success and benefit for GEKA and its stakeholders. After running with a high risk, inefficient compressed air system, we now have acquired an efficient and reliable system, which will serve for many years to come.
“As well as the work undertaken on our compressed air system, the training given on other energy issues through the ERE programme has provided some of our staff with the knowledge to improve in a number of areas. As a result of working with the ERE programme we have saved 20% on our energy bills and reduced our carbon emissions dramatically, while supporting training and development of the people, in line with our strategy.”
source: http://www.onenortheast.co.uk/page/news/article.cfm?articleId=2705
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