Here’s an accomplishment worth striving for — a Swedish manufacturer of high-strength stainless steel fasteners, BUMAX, has reduced the energy it uses for heating and electricity at its Åshammar facility by over 50 percent since 2011. The aim is to significantly reduce its carbon emissions and further streamline the production of BUMAX products.
The BUMAX facility in Åshammar, Sweden
“This is an impressive feat for a manufacturing company operating in a large facility in the Nordics,” said Patrik Lundström Törnquist, managing director of BUMAX. “We commenced our sustainability program already in 2011 and have seen fantastic results.”
“By using less energy for heating and electricity, we are not only reducing our carbon footprint, we also realized financial savings that increases our competitiveness.”
By reducing the need for heating, BUMAX has reduced its 12,000 sqm facility’s carbon emissions from heating by 62 percent since 2011. Key investments to reducing heating demand have included upgrading the roof insulation, fitting energy efficient triple glazed windows and insulated skylights, and the installation of better insulated large industrial doors. All these measures have also provided a more equal indoor temperature at the facility and a better working environment.
Other measures to reduce the heating demand have included better controls for the boiler heating system, optimization of the ventilation system, reducing the temperature in the warehouse from 15 to 10° C, and installation of a heat recovery ventilation unit that optimizes heating in the offices and canteen.
Renewable electricity
BUMAX sources 100 percent of its electricity from renewable hydroelectric power plants. In 2019, the company used approximately 1,249 MWh of renewable electricity.
At the same time, electricity use has been reduced by around 55 percent following investments in low-energy lights and lighting motion sensors. In addition, the facility’s wastewater treatment plant has been closed as it was not economical for the small amounts of wastewater BUMAX produces, which reduced annual energy use by over 150 MWh.
The work with energy efficiency continues in 2020 with the replacement of the facility’s gas heating system with an electric heating system powered by renewable electricity. The switch to renewable electricity is the first phase of a project to replace the facility’s entire heating system with a more sustainable solution.
Such continued measures to reduce energy use not only decreased the company’s environmental impact and carbon emissions – they also significantly reduce production costs and make BUMAX production more efficient and cost competitive.
Various energy efficiency measures were identified following two energy assessments in recent years that have been essential in recognizing how energy is used at the BUMAX facility in Åshammar. BUMAX has also participated in the Energig project together with the University of Gävle and Linköping University that helped companies to become more energy efficient. Following its success in promoting energy efficiency, BUMAX has been highlighted as a good example by the Swedish Energy Agency.
BUMAX
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Filed Under: Fastener industry news, AUTOMATION