Plastic Herbert

Plastic Hebert saves over €30,000 a year via AIRMATICS™ smart air solution

The challenge

Plastic Hebert is a leading producer of injection moulded plastic packaging for the food industry, with a wide-ranging client portfolio that includes small manufacturers and multi-national blue chip companies.

A comprehensive air audit, conducted by AIRMATICS™ and INOV, at the firm’s plant in Orgelet, France, revealed that over 20 per cent of energy relating to its air compressors was being wasted.

As a company committed to environmentally responsible manufacturing and minimising its carbon footprint, Plastic Hebert turned to AIRMATICS™ to devise a solution that would cut wastage, reduce its energy bill and deliver long term sustainability gains.

The project

AIRMATICS™ and INOV monitored Plastic Hebert’s compressors and compressor room over a five-day period, which confirmed the presence of air leakages, how electricity was being wasted and that the system’s average operating pressure of 7.5 bar was over 30 per cent higher than required.

Unload running was also hugely inefficient, with three compressors being used on weekdays and as much as 40 per cent of electricity being wasted at weekends.

To combat this, AIRMATICS™ and INOV devised a solution that would align output with demand by incorporating an air compressor performance, monitoring and control system that enabled pressure sensors to be installed in each of the three compressor rooms to provide the capability to carefully balance pressure. This step facilitated effective unload running with only one compressor during the week.

Variable Speed Drives were also retrofitted to one of the compressors to continually measure demand and accurately regulate output at a consistent predetermined pressure.

The inclusion of remote monitoring technology by AIRMATICS™ also allowed Plastic Hebert to identify areas where further savings could be made, such as the reconfiguring of their system’s pipe network – a move that is expected to save the firm €10,000.

The result

By integrating the range of solutions available through AIRMATICS™ Plastic Hebert has:

• Saved a total of over €30,000 per annum on energy bills
• Reduced energy consumption by up to 40 Wh/Nm³ per year, which has also significantly decreased its carbon footprint
• Taken weekday unload running down from three compressors to one compressor – a saving €15,000 each year alone
• Identified the opportunity to save €10,000 per year by reconfiguring its pipework and minimizing pressure differentials

“We now have clear visibility of our daytime, night-time and weekend compressed air requirements and can adjust output accordingly. We are also able to maintain system pressure consistently across our factory, removing the disruptions that were previously caused by machinery downtimes. The improvements implemented should pay for themselves within twelve months and we are absolutely delighted with the production, energy saving and cost reduction benefits that are now being delivered.”

David Ligonesche, Plastic Hebert