KAESER puts automotive supplier in the driver's seat of compressed air efficiency
Automotive seating and electrical supplier reduced their annual maximum power consumption by 865,440 kWh, the equivalent of removing 100 homes from the power grid for one year.
Problem:
A Tier 1 automotive seating and electrical supplier was interested in taking advantage of local utility rebate incentives. For their compressed air needs, they had been relying on four compressors manufactured in the 1980s, inherited from a sister plant. Each unit operated in modulation control and was manually switched on and off, leaving the units continually fighting each other, resulting in wasted energy, fluctuating pressure, and increased maintenance costs.
Solution:
KAESER performed a complete Kaeser Air Demand Analysis (ADA) to identify the plant's current compressed air needs and to develop a plan for implementing the most energy efficient solution possible. Additionally, KAESER recommended a SIGMA AIR MANAGER (SAM) master controller to properly control the system and ensure the most energy efficient combination of units would be selected to meet current plant demand.
Result:
Thanks to better controls and adding an energy efficient variable frequency drive compressor, the customer was able to reduce their annual maximum power consumption by 865,440 kWh - the equivalent of removing 100 homes from the power grid for year -- all without compromising stable system pressure. With the older compressors relegated to back-up, annual maintenance costs have been reduced from $37,000 to $18,000. Less maintenance also means less downtime, for increased productivity.