Compressed Air Monitoring Saves Bottling Plant €60,000 a Year... Every Year!
With a little help from an innovative Sick sensor, a bottling plant delivered impressive energy and cost savings by monitoring their compressed air use.
Generating compressed air is one of the most expensive resources used in manufacturing production. The sharp rise in energy costs has focused the minds of many companies who are actively trying to reduce their energy consumption, including one specific drink manufacturer. Their production and filling lines use large quantities of energy-intensive compressed air.
To reduce waste and cut costs, they have installed Sick's compressed air monitoring solution: the FTMg flow sensor. Along with their cloud based software (Field Analytics portfolio) and the TDC gateway, it was the ideal solution to their problems, and it could be yours too. It will constantly monitor your compressed air system to identify leaks and inefficiencies, using data to better understand your processes. Basing energy-use decisions on actual data analysis, rather than opinions, really can make your production more sustainable.
In the past, this beverage company carried out manual checks to identify and reduce compressed air leaks. This isn't the easiest method, involving inspecting the equipment by hand in every stage of production, from the manufacturing of the bottles and filling, all the way to packaging and palletising. It was time-consuming and costly, often being done at weekends.
From Manual Spot Checks to Automated Continuous Monitoring
Sick was the ideal partner to automate this task. They proposed a continuous monitoring solution with the FTMg flow sensor, the TDC Gateway, and the cloud solution in the Field Analytics Portfolio.
A total of 49 flow sensors were installed in five production lines at one bottling plant. These sensors measure and record the consumption of compressed air, providing real-time data on parameters such as device status, pressure, and energy consumption.
Intelligent algorithms evaluate the minimum compressed air consumption during operation and downtime, using the data to identify leakages and potential inefficiencies without manual checks.
Saving Time and Resources, with Potential for Scalability
Shifting from time-consuming and labour-intensive manual inspections to continuous monitoring was a game changer for this company. There is now 24/7 data visualisation, complete with specific alarms indicating leaks and inefficiencies. By comparing consumption data from each measuring point, machine, and production line, any areas of over-consumption can be identified.
As other production sites are added in the future, comparisons across plants can also be made. Continuous monitoring of individual equipment items and the plant as a whole gives a clear overview that draws on statistics, trends and KPIs. Equipped with advanced analytics, the right tools are now in place for accurate maintenance planning, measurable cost savings, and data-based profitability calculations.
So How Much Did They Save?
Initial analysis shows the project delivered annual savings of almost €60,000 on 1 million m³ of compressed air. Further analysis suggests potential additional savings of 0.5 million m³ - and that's only for downtime. Sick believe they will deliver additional savings over time, if dynamic leaks are considered.
Read; Sick's FTMg 4-in-1 Flow Meter Promises to Give You Big Energy Savings 
Looking for more information? We can help with that...
If you have a manufacturing plant and want to see how much your compressed air system is wasting, complete the form below to arrange an on-site demo. There is no pressure (no pun intended), just a great opportunity to reduce your energy costs.
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