| Clarksville plant reaps benefits of energy workshop | ||
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A $20 investment in a workshop has given a Clarksville manufacturer a big bang for its buck when it comes to energy savings and efficiency. Steven Sullivan, engineering manager for Clarksville’s Hendrickson Trailer Suspension Systems, attended a compressed air system energy reduction workshop hosted in Fayetteville by Tennessee Tech University’s Center for Manufacturing Research. He says his company has made significant progress in energy conservation as it relates to compressed air. |
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“This workshop brought to light how inefficient compressed air systems are and how that translates into cost,” said Sullivan. “But it also showed how easy it is to recoup that cost by taking a few simple measures.” Through a grant from the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development’s Energy Division, TTU’s Center for Manufacturing Research organizes energy efficiency workshops held throughout the state to provide information and bring results to manufacturers looking for a competitive edge. The result of this workshop, a collaboration with the University of Tennessee Center for Industrial Services, was just as designed. “I have hard proof of money saved,” said Sullivan. The workshop led the company to measure and reduce set points on air compressors, to implement an ongoing leak detection program, and to use a special tagging system to leave an audit trail for leaks found and repaired. “Our actions resulted in so much more available air that we noticed that during periods of low demand that one compressor was not unloading as it should,” Sullivan said. “Now the compressor reacts correctly, but we would not have found it had we not reduced our compressed air demand. “This type of program supports our philosophy that if you aren’t measuring, you aren’t managing,” he said. Sullivan explained that the much dryer system also reduces the deterioration of pneumatic tools, leading to even greater long-term cost savings. As another result of the workshop, Sullivan says the company is seriously entertaining the use of services to garner additional energy savings through more efficient lighting in the plant and the evaluation of waste streams. “Unlike many workshops, this one wasn’t put on by one particular company or manufacturer, so we got a lot of unbiased information and opinions,” Sullivan explained. “An additional benefit was that we made some contacts and learned of a lot of free programs that we didn’t know about before,” he said. “Not bad for a $20 workshop!” TTU’s Center for Manufacturing Research regularly coordinates similar workshops across the state. For more information, contact Michelle Davis at 931-372-6386 or e-mail mfgctr@tntech.edu. |
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