Implementation of Metal Casting Best Practices - EERE - U.S. ...

een implemented and to evaluate the general “state-of-the-plant.” During this tour, the
assessment team would note obvious wastes of energy, such as lack of furnace coverings,
compressed air leaks, and unnecessary lighting. The tour was not intended to convey a thorough
understanding of facility operations but to provide the team with an overview of the facility.
After the tour, the assessment team and facility team reassembled to go over the observations
made during the plant tour. At this meeting, the team requested from plant management specific
metrics regarding research result implementation. These metrics generally centered around scrap
rate reductions, yield rate improvement, and cost savings realized by the plant from best
practices implementation. In addition, during this meeting, the assessment team provided a
summary of comments regarding the tour and committed to addressing facility personnel
requests regarding ITP tools and projects with which they were unfamiliar. This included
locating relevant reports for plant personnel or sending information on how to apply for a SEN
assessment.
The assessment team concluded the plant visit by sending a letter recapping the site visit to the
key contact at the plant. The letter presented a brief summary of issues observed during the plant
tour that could help the plant become more efficient and competitive. These issues ranged from
energy conservation to housekeeping. The letter also included a list of action items that each
member of the assessment team and the facility team would address. Once the letter was sent, the
assessment team followed up with plant personnel via telephone until the desired metrics were
obtained or it was determined that the metrics could not be provided. No facilities were revisited
to determine if there was any action that resulted directly from the facility assessment.
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