Introduction
The Client is the UK’s leading supplier of plumbing, heating, and drainage systems, serving the construction and utilities markets. With multiple manufacturing locations across the UK and Ireland, the company operates several energy-intensive manufacturing processes, including plastic extrusion and clay firing, both of which are critical to its operations. As part of their commitment to improving operational efficiency and reducing energy consumption, the client sought a comprehensive energy monitoring solution to optimise energy usage and minimise costs across its facilities.
Challenges
Managing energy consumption across multiple sites:
- Energy Management: Ensuring efficient energy use across multiple sites with diverse, energy-intensive operations.
- Cost Reduction: Identifying opportunities to reduce energy expenditure while maintaining high-quality production standards.
- Real-time Monitoring: Gaining access to real-time data on energy usage to enable more proactive energy management and decision-making.
Solution
The client partnered with Elcomponent to implement an energy monitoring system that provided comprehensive data collection and analysis. The solution included:
- 140+ Meters: Installation and commissioning of over 140 meters across four manufacturing sites, allowing detailed monitoring of energy consumption at each location.
- Real-time Data: The meters provided real-time data through half-hourly readings, enabling the client to monitor energy usage continuously.
- Cloud Platform: Data from all meters was sent to a central cloud-based platform, providing access to comprehensive insights from any location.
- Seamless Integration: The system was integrated into the client’s existing LAN network, ensuring effective communication between the meters and data collection hardware.
Elcomponent worked closely with the client’s site teams, supplying, and installing the necessary hardware and software, while ensuring smooth commissioning and integration across all four sites.
Implementation Process
The installation followed a structured and collaborative approach:
- Assessment and Planning: Initial site assessments were conducted to determine optimal metering points and plan the installation process.
- Meter Installation and Commissioning: Accuracy and reliability were combined with a cost-effective and efficient installation process, which was achieved with the minimum of disruption to the sites manufacturing processes. The installation involved meters for all three utilities and was achieved jointly between Elcomponent’s installers and the client’s in-house teams, followed by system commissioning to ensure the accurate collection of data.
- Training and Integration: The client’s team received training on using the monitoring system effectively, ensuring smooth integration with the existing operational management systems.
The Business Impact
The installation of the energy monitoring system delivered immediate and measurable business benefits:
- Targeted Reductions: The system enabled the identification of key areas for energy savings, particularly focusing on overhead and ancillary demand.
- Waste Elimination: By monitoring energy consumption in real-time, the company was able to reduce wastage in non-core operations, driving significant operational efficiencies.
- Improved Energy Efficiency: The system provided the insights needed to target inefficiencies and implement corrective actions, leading to ongoing energy savings.
Customer Feedback
The Engineering Manager at the client’s site shared the following feedback:
“Elcomponent’s building-block approach to specifying the hardware and software has enabled us to realise and install a complete system that is perfectly tailored to our needs. This has been delivered with outstanding quality and professionalism and has enabled us to move to ‘aggressive targeting and monitoring’ techniques, with particular focus on overhead and ancillary demand.”