Industries

Hitachi Astemo’s efficiency gains will turn into significant cost savings. In this article we outline the savings reported by the client since the changeover was complete. It shows a sizeable reduction in energy costs, air compressor energy costs and maintenance costs to the tune of 21.95%, 24.14% and 24.14%, respectively. Total operating costs to date have dropped from \$1,277,394 to \$941,959 with the new system a decrease of 26.25%.

A large food manufacturing operation in the U.S. Midwest spends $529,000 annually on energy to operate the compressed air system. 

The plant currently has two supply-side systems that operate and feed two different distribution networks at two different pressures. One compressed air system is at 115 psig (medium pressure system) and the low-pressure system is at 30 psig. The compressed air equipment for both systems is located in four areas throughout the facility. 
 

We visited the 2024 International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) with the objective being to discuss hygienic vacuum and compressed air system designs within thermoforming and other meat/poultry/cheese packaging systems. We were able to discuss the sanitary designs they deploy and some protective measures they have in place, should the manufacturing plant provide compressed air which is not clean and dry and therefore conducive to hygienic manufacturing. 

While oxygen is unquestionably the most important gas in our atmosphere, as it is essential for most animals and human life, nitrogen is the most widely used atmospheric gas.  Nitrogen is the go-to gas for countless industrial, medical, and scientific applications. This is because nitrogen is in vast supply, inert, and possesses the desirable characteristics of being colorless, odorless, and tasteless. The purity of nitrogen significantly affects the outcome of the application for which it is used and how the industry measures the purity of nitrogen gas is the focus of this article.       

FABTECH 2023, a leading event for metal forming, fabricating, welding, and finishing, successfully wrapped up its four-day run at Chicago's McCormick Place, achieving significant milestones for attendance, exhibitors, and show floor size. The 2023 show floor, spanning an impressive 825,325 square feet across three exhibit halls, featured an extensive showcase of over 1,500 world-class suppliers. 

Laird & Company has been pioneering and perfecting Applejack brandy for 325 years. In 1698, William Laird immigrated from County Fyfe, Scotland to Monmouth County, New Jersey, bringing nothing but the distillation skills of his homeland with him. Keen to experiment with the ingredients of the New World, William began to dabble in the distillation of the most abundant crop in the area – apples. 

The 2023 CheeseCon event was held April 4-6, 2023 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin. Co-produced by the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA) and the Center for Dairy Research, this event brings together more than 3,000 dairy industry leaders, suppliers, and marketers together to share information about the latest in cheese manufacturing technology, workforce, whey opportunities, product safety, marketing, and dairy exports. 

There were two situations brought to our attention. The first was that production at times was having to slow down, or even stop, due to compressed air system pressure falling below the required levels. The second reason was due to reports, from plant personnel, of compressed air moisture problems negatively affecting the bag life of the dryer baghouses.

This assessment identifies a path to reduce the energy consumption from \$85,000 to \$51,000 per year. This can be done with little capital by fixing poppet-valve control problems on the air compressors and reducing flow and pressure requirements. Due to article space limitations, this article does not provide detail on the flow reduction projects. It focuses only on the impact these projects have on the air compressors and provides readers with a template on the information they should have on their units, by shift.

A focus on sustainable products and packaging, in combination with a passion for quality, has resulted in considerable growth for the firm. Plans to add production lines at facility #1, in turn, drove the need to address the plant’s faltering compressed air system.