Manufacturers whose bottom lines are threatened by today’s rising energy costs will benefit from the solutions to be offered by Energy Management Pathfinding, a new report from the Alliance to Save Energy.
Washington, D.C. — Manufacturers whose bottom lines are threatened by today’s rising energy costs will benefit from the solutions to be offered by Energy Management Pathfinding, a new report from the Alliance to Save Energy. The report will be unveiled at the National Association of Manufacturers’ National Manufacturing Week in Chicago, Ill., though March 10. It offers case studies, assembled by the Alliance with support from the U.S. Department of Energy, illustrating the unique energy-management strategies developed by 10 major U.S. corporations, including Frito-Lay, Kimberly-Clark, and 3M, which have used energy management to improve their business performance by reducing costs, building revenue capacity, and containing operating risk.
“While many companies are simply trying to cut their energy bills, firms like Merck & Co. are using energy-waste reduction as a strategy for boosting productivity and avoiding the need to build more plants,” said Alliance Director of Industrial Programs Christopher Russell. “These companies generally approach energy management as a process instead of as a collection of scattered projects. Technology continues to play a key role in reducing energy costs, but savings are enhanced ”“ and sustained ”“ by making energy-smart decisions, from the plant floor up through management and finance people.”
The 10 energy management case studies suggest that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to achieving energy savings of 10-20 percent or more. Instead, companies tailor an energy management strategy to reflect their own patterns of authority, accountability, and technical capability. “Several features are common among energy-smart companies,” Russell said. “One is staff awareness of the volume and patterns of energy used in their plant. The other is coordination of energy decisions by an empowered individual who can communicate effectively with both engineers and finance people. As for implementation, companies can use in-house labor or secure help from energy service companies. Our report’s case studies provide examples of both.”
Other companies in the series include C&A Floorcoverings, Continental Tire, DuPont, Mercury Marine, Shaw Industries, and Unilever. The case studies, an analysis of their findings, and a corporate self-test of organizational aptitude for energy management are available online at www.ase.org/section/topic/industry/corporate/pathfinding.
The Alliance to Save Energy is a coalition of prominent business, government, environmental, and consumer leaders who promote the efficient and clean use of energy worldwide to benefit consumers, the environment, economy, and national security.
