From A to Z, from auditing, project concepts and implementation to financing

Energy Audit of the Company

Representatives of Simoldes Plasticos, in collaboration with DB Energy, decided to look for key savings that would give them a competitive advantage in the industry. An important element of Simoldes Plasticos' development strategy is the continuous optimization of the production process, including the use of new technologies and innovative materials, identifying unprofitable products, managing production efficiency, and introducing savings in material consumption.

As a result of the Energy Audit conducted in 2015, we identified as many as 24 measures aimed at improving the plant’s energy efficiency. Based on this, our audit team recommended a number of solutions with the greatest potential to reduce the plant's energy consumption. Our engineering team defined measures with the highest potential to reduce the plant’s energy intensity, among which upgrades in the refrigeration plant, lighting and production machinery are to be found.

,,DB Energy has approached the modernization project in our plant with high complexity. Once a thorough energy audit was performed, the company agreed to implement indicated solutions. Moreover, it recommended external financing for a project, that is the ESCO financing method thanks to which we were able to immediately start the project development. Such projects are a win-win for both the contractor and investor.”  says Paweł Czerkawski, Technical Director at Simoldes Plasticos.

First Step

The first measure implemented at the Simoldes Plasticos factory was the modernization of the lighting system. By using LED lighting fixtures and the DALI control system, it was possible to rach annual energy savings of approximately 60%. The entire modernization was carried out without stopping the production process. Thanks to special sensors, it is possible to adjust the intensity of artificial lighting - when natural daylight is strong enough, the intensity of the LED fixtures is reduced to the appropriate level and vice versa.

Investment Implementation

The next, more complex investment project was the modernization of the compressed air system, where a superior control system was applied. Additionally, we reduced the loss of compressed air by identifying and removing leaks in the installation. Annual savings from the reduction of air losses alone amount to over EUR 31,000.

Our engineers also recommended the modernization of the cooling installation as one of the most effective reduction actions - this system consumed significant amounts of electrical energy. Cooling plays a key role in the production of injection-molded parts. Two circuits are used there - the mold cooling circuit and the oil cooling circuit in the machines. First, liquid plastic is injected into the mold and clamped or pressed, then the liquid material is solidified with chilled water. The temperature of the cold and chilled water must be constant for this process to run smoothly.

As part of the modernization of the cooling system, we applied a free cooling system, using ambient temperature for pre-cooling the medium, and included a master controller in the circuit. It reads temperature parameters from the machines and rooms and appropriately regulates the operation of the pumping system transporting water and the cooling devices - chillers and dry coolers. This control system allows individual elements of the cooling installation to be turned on and off depending on the ambient temperature. The use of additional measuring devices and the development of appropriate programs based on our proprietary algorithms contributes to the optimization of device operation, thereby reducing energy consumption.

An important and energy-saving project was the heat recovery implemented at Simoldes Plasticos. We implemented a waste heat recovery system from air compressors in the plant by using an oil-water exchanger. The exchanger is connected in series to the oil cooling circuit of the compressor, where thermal energy is transferred from the hot oil to the water used for heating or hot water. By using waste thermal energy to heat water, we reduced the amount of gas utilized for this purpose. The savings are significant enough that from June to September additional heating is not needed, allowing the entire boiler system to be turned off during this period.

The final  measure was a pilot project to optimize the operation of plastic injection molding machines. By intervening in the production technology, we employed a frequency converter in the circuit powering the electric drive of the hydraulic system. The essence of the idea is to control the oil flow and the moment the system is activated, which allows adjusting the pressure to different injection molds. The upgrade does not affect any other parameters of the injection molding machine. This allows the production of elements with varying weights at the highest energy efficiency. This solution enables energy savings of 20% to 60% depending on the mold used for production.

Financing in the ESCO Model

Simoldes Plasticos in Jelcz-Laskowice decided to finance part of the investment projects in the ESCO model, thus not having to invest their own funds in energy-saving initiatives. Their value comes to approximately EUR 630,000.

"Many companies opt for the ESCO model because they usually allocate their investment budget to increasing production capacity or modernizing their machinery. Projects aimed at improving energy efficiency are not a priority for them. The ESCO model allows the client to efficiently implement energy transformation assumptions without burdening their own budget. Moreover, this type of financing does not affect the client's balance sheet, and the positive impact on the company's financial results is noticeable from the first day after implementing new solutions." says Łukasz Feldman PhD, CFO at DB Energy.

Modernization Effects

• Total cost of modernization: EUR 630,000
• Replacement of lighting with LED fixtures and installation of the intelligent DALI control system: demand for electrical energy needed to light the halls reduced by 60%
• Modernization of injection molding machines: reduction in energy consumption by over 2,000 MWh annually, approximately 30%
• Cooling system control installation: energy consumption reduced by about 35%
• Heat recovery from compressors: thermal energy savings of about 1,000 GJ
• Simple payback period for projects is approximately 2 years
• Final average annual energy consumption reduction: over 25%

The Simoldes Plasticos group is one of the leading manufacturers of plastic components for the automotive industry in Europe. Their plants are to be found in Brazil, Portugal, France, the Czech Republic, and Poland, where it has been present since 2003.