All case studies

ENVIRONMENT
Reducing energy usage
in our glass production
Across all our operations, glass production is
the most energy intensive part of our
business.
Specifically, during the melting process where
recycled glass cullet and raw materials are
melted down to a homogenous glass mass.
Further energy is then used to operate flue
gas abatement systems that cool the furnace’s
outside walls, to provide compressed air, to
operate ovens which remove stress from the
container and for process support equipment.
Energy usage
Energy usage in the melting process has been
the focus of much research and development
for many years with several improvements
and reductions already made. A project
supported by an external energy consultant,
is being steered within our organisation by
engineers and our lean six sigma function.
The target is to identify, define and prioritise
potential efficiency improvements.
The expected reduction in consumed energy
will have a positive impact on energy
consumption, emissions and operational costs
to the business.
Audit
As a first step, an extensive energy efficiency
audit is carried out by a specialist external
auditor. This assessment includes process
mapping, detailed consumer specific analysis
of differing energy consumption rates,
identification of energy losses and finally the
responsibility
case study
prioritisation of the identified areas. The
results help finalise the audit conclusions. The
external auditor compared Neuenhagen with
other glass manufacturing sites and
commented “Neuenhagen’s energy efficiency
is probably better than most other glass
plants in the world. This is mainly due to
careful initial design, modern installed
technology, use of pre-heating, use of
variable speed drives and implemented
efficiency improvements.”
Next steps
Once the full results are received, our next
steps will be to develop the relevant technical
improvement concepts to facilitate the change
ENERGY
required. This will include; comparison of
existing equipment and processes to the best
relevant available technique, technical and
economic feasibility studies, risk assessments
and finally, investment, implementation and
change management plans.
As a result of this audit we will be able to
define specific benchmarks and best
practices within our glass manufacturing
operations, which will be used to identify
further efficiency potentials in all our sites in
order to mitigate the impacts of increasing
energy prices, and reduce energy
consumption and the resulting emissions to
the environment.