How tissue converters can manage energy to save money and the planet

Globally, environmental conservation is a top priority. Industry, on the whole, is generally considered a top threat to resources and climate change. Recent statistics bear out the concern. Around 38% of overall global energy consumption and 24% of total CO2 emissions are attributed to industrial production.¹ Continued industrial expansion suggests the percentages will continue to rise exponentially, as will energy prices since general worldwide demand for energy is predicted to nearly double by 2035.

It all adds up to a predicament for tissue manufacturers and converters. Pulp and paper ranks within the top tier of those industries that are considered energy-intensive, budgeting anywhere from 10-40% of production costs strictly for energy use.²  The exorbitant dependence upon energy raises red flags from both budgetary and environmental perspectives. Mitigating the impact in these areas has spurred incremental adoption of digital technologies and the Internet of Things (IoT) to improve energy output management and usage.

Smart solutions

Digitalization has been a game changer within the industrial sector. Using smart machinery and digital technologies to capture data gives manufacturers insights into energy efficiencies— and energy waste — from the granular equipment level through the broader facility and even into the supply chain.

Arguably, the most important piece of the Big Data puzzle is that which is captured at the equipment level. Why? Machinery is integral to manufacturing, and about 30% of electrical energy is converted to mechanical energy within motors that power equipment on the line.³ There are Minimum Efficiency Performance Standards (MEPS) that regulate motor efficiency within industrialized regions, but manufacturers that are implementing technologies that help them understand energy output and other key analytics are addressing the challenge at a much more actionable level for cost savings and environmental conservation.

In fact, the recent pulp and paper industry study issued by the European Commission’s Joint Research Center (JRC) reports that tissue manufacturers and converters that implement best available technologies (BATs) and practices will influence the future. By 2050, pulp and paper industry producers following BATs could easily decrease their energy consumption by 14% and greenhouse gas emissions by 62% over levels documented in 2015.⁴

Körber and the future of energy efficiency

Körber is an industry leader in digital technologies and smart equipment that are transforming how tissue converters operate within Industry 4.0. The increased Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) tissue converters glean from our Digital Tissue™ platform of services and technical solutions speaks directly to the influence of data collection and analysis.

Körber has taken that same forward thinking to help tissue converters self-regulate energy management and costs. Our Energy Efficiency Pack — standard on all lines — contains energy-efficient drives for main equipment motors that:

• Increase motor efficiency by an average of 3%
• Re-use power generated through line deceleration

Additional energy-saving features include:

• Electrical cabinet cooling with hybrid technology that provides an average of 44% cooling energy savings by cooling on demand
• Incorporation of LED lighting technology, which provides a 50% reduction of energy absorbed by lights inside machines and electrical cabinets

It’s incumbent upon tissue converters to implement smart solutions that will help save money and the planet, such as Körber’s Energy Efficiency Pack.

Contact Körber for more information on this energy management innovation.

SOURCES

¹International Energy Agency, Digitalization and Energy 2017, November 2017

²Siemens, Energy for industry, Undated

³ABB, Boosting industrial profitability with energy efficient drives and motors, Undated

⁴Chemical Processing, Study Spotlights Pulp and Paper Processes, October 17, 2018