Enbridge Smart Savings

Motor Specialty Manufacturing Ltd. Case Study

Today’s global competition and tough economic climate has put increased pressure on manufacturers to operate more quickly, and cost effectively than ever before. Magna, a leading global automotive supplier with 335 manufacturing operations in 28 countries, overcomes these challenges by remaining focused on delivering superior value to customers through innovative processes and world class manufacturing. As part of this directive, Magna facilities actively explore opportunities to improve plant efficiencies that satisfy production requirements while yielding a good return on investment. By working with Enbridge Gas Distribution, several of Magna’s plants have not only found opportunities to reduce emissions and cut monthly energy expenses, but in many cases, these same solutions have also improved working conditions on their plant floors.

“Enbridge Gas Distribution has been helping industrial customers like Magna optimize their natural gas consumption for over two decades. Regardless of the industry our customers are in, one of the most common, efficient and effective ways of achieving energy savings is by reducing and reusing waste heat,” says Damir Naden, Industrial Energy Solutions Manager at Enbridge Gas Distribution. Waste heat is a term used to describe the remaining heat exhausted after it has fulfilled its primary purpose. “On average, anywhere from 20 to 50 per cent of the energy consumed in industrial facilities is wasted,” adds Naden.

Through attending Enbridge Gas Distribution’s efficiency workshops and working with their Enbridge Energy Solutions Consultant (ESC), several of Magna’s manufacturing facilities have identified and implemented initiatives to reduce waste heat, improve efficiencies and deliver annual cost savings.

Motor Specialty Manufacturing Ltd. (MSM), a division of Magna, has experienced the benefits of waste heat reduction and recovery first hand.

After participating in several of Enbridge Gas Distribution’s efficiency workshops and learning about the impact these types of projects had at other Magna plants, the MSM team were eager to identify similar opportunities within their facilities. Their ESC, Slobodanka Radic, suggested that they start with an air balance assessment. “An air balance assessment measures the performance of a simple or complex HVAC system to ensure all components are working at optimal efficiency and effectiveness levels. Regulating air balance within a building, whether it’s comparing inside to outside or comparing one zone to another, is extremely important for indoor air quality, occupant comfort, system efficiency, correct air fl ow and overall plant safety,” states Slobodanka Radic, Industrial Energy Solutions Consultant at Enbridge Gas Distribution. Enbridge typically offers financial incentives to cover

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up to half of the cost of these assessments, but MSM was able to take advantage of a limited time campaign offer whereby Enbridge covered the entire cost of the assessment.

In late November of 2017, Enbridge introduced a limited time increased incentive offer to cover 80 per cent of the cost of waste heat reduction and recovery projects. Having already identified and quantified opportunities through the air balance assessments, the increased incentive was exactly what MSM needed to take action. Working closely with their ESC to ensure the scope of work matched the project requirements and cost targets, Magna’s MSM division was able to implement four separate waste heat reduction projects at two of their facilities.

The implemented projects involved air compressor heat recovery and the installation of equipment controls to moderate ventilation requirements. The results were impressive, with expected annual natural gas savings of 291,000 m3/year and 195,000 m3/year respectively in each facility. This is equivalent to approximately $121,500 in avoided natural gas costs annually. The projects also contributed to approximately 400,000 kWh of annual electricity savings. In addition to these savings, MSM received $106,705 in financial incentives from Enbridge, which covered two thirds of the total project cost.

> From left to right: Slobodanka Radic, Enbridge Energy Solutions Consultant presenting an incentive cheque to MSM’s Barry Staddon, Assistant General Manager, and Michael Brown, Sr. Automation Technician.

“We were able to use the information collected by the air balance assessments to identify and quantify a variety of waste heat reduction measures, such as reducing ventilation to alleviate some of the drafty areas in the building, and capturing the waste heat from the air compressor to heat the shop floor. Each facility had slightly different efficiency opportunities and potential for savings, but overall, the projects were expected to yield a combined payback of 1.5 years.” says Radic.

Barry Staddon, Assistant General Manager at MSM adds “We are working in a competitive environment and any opportunity to save on operating costs is very important to us. Having Enbridge pay the entire cost of the air balance assessments provided the information needed to quantify the potential savings for us, and gave us confidence to move forward with the projects. We are now saving six digits annually on energy costs, significantly reducing our carbon emissions and improving the comfort on our plant floor.” says Staddon.

“It’s good practice to have projects ready to go in the event corporate budget frees up at the end of the year. By proactively engaging in an air balance assessment to identify and quantify efficiency opportunities, MSM had the information they needed to take advantage of a special, short-term increased incentive offer that will benefit their facilities for years to come,” adds Senka Donches, Manager of Energy Efficiencies the Americas at Magna.

From process, to equipment, to KPIs, each manufacturing facility is unique, which is why the first step to improving the efficiency of any plant is to understand how it operates. MSM is only one of many Magna divisions that have benefited from an air balance assessment.

If you are interested in pursuing an air balance assessment or investigating other energy efficiency opportunities in your facilities, contact your Enbridge Energy Solutions Consultant:

1-866-844-9994

energyservices@enbridge.com

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