Sustainability is an interdisciplinary task in any company. It involves different areas and company structures that have to work together to achieve set goals such as saving energy and resources. One example in the filling and packaging industry is the monitoring of compressed air consumption. The production of compressed air requires a lot of energy and is therefore very cost - intensive. Often the consumption of energy for the use of compressed air is too high.
Initial situation
Some machines, such as the blow molder or the labeler of a filling line, require a small amount of compressed air even during the idle phase. This serves as an air dryer to prevent germs, moisture and contamination. The compressed air is generated by a compressor that is powered by electricity. The plant operator wanted to determine the compressed air consumption during production and during the rest phase of production.
What was done?
Using a dashboard developed by Quantis, the plant operator analyzed compressed air consumption over a specified period of time. By collecting the compressed air consumption for each machine per hour and per day and visualizing the data in relation to the idle phase and production, it was possible to compare the total consumption. In doing so, the plant operator determined that too much air was being consumed on the named machines during the idle phase.
Result
The plant was inspected for the presence of leaks. By replacing seals, compressed air consumption during idle periods was reduced by more than half.
The Maintenance Manager has the data visually presented in dashboards in the office for constant reference. It is no longer necessary to read the consumption on the machine display in the production hall.
In addition, the system automatically sends notifications to the Maintenance Manager when set limits are exceeded.
Conclusion
In view of rapidly rising energy prices, especially for electricity, monitoring compressed air consumption creates added value in terms of saving energy and thus eliminating unnecessary cost drivers.
Picture by Unsplash Casey Horner