PRODUCTORA ARBR

Pilot Project

"Introduction to Energy Efficiency and Energy Management Systems in SMEs in Mexico"

Example of energy efficiency improvement Productora ARBR S.A. de C.V.: Improvement in the design of its infrastructure leads to an increase in quality and improvement in its energy performance

Background information

The implementation of the pilot project began with the introductory workshop to ISO 50001:2011 in October 2015. The companies then conducted energy audits to identify and prioritize various opportunities for improvement, under the guidance of Mexican consultants with expertise in energy efficiency.

The company Productora ARBR S.A. de C.V. (ARBR), which has been participating in the pilot project since September 2016, is located in Santiago Tianguistenco Industrial Park, State of Mexico. In 2003 the company began operations in Santiago Tianguistenco and in 2006 it acquired Tornillos Victoria, a firm with more than 50 years’ experience in the Mexican hardware industry.

Productora ARBR is in the business of manufacturing, purchasing and selling fixings and fasteners. It currently has the capacity to produce 75 million screws per month, 22 million 3" nails and 14 million 1¾" nails. Thanks to its customer service philosophy and the high quality of its products, Productora ARBR has succeeded in supplying screws, woodworking screws, bolts, rivets and nails to a variety of customers. The company prides itself on its great flexibility in designing and manufacturing its products and a high level of commitment to its customers: attributes that have earned it a reputation as a reliable supplier.

Description of the improvement

One of the organization’s significant energy uses is the area of Washing and Finishing (W&F). As its name indicates, this where the grease collected by the parts as they pass through the forging and stamping area is removed in vats containing degreasing solutions that are heated to facilitate grease removal. There is also an electroplating line that a portion of the screw production passes through, which, as of January 2017, was separated from the washing area as part of a comprehensive expansion plan to support production growth due to current demand for the product.

This change in the design of the facilities represents an opportunity to improve the quality of the product and of course improve the energy efficiency of the processes.

In particular, when the finishing area was relocated, the opportunity was taken to integrate a modulating control into the burners in the washing area, in order to optimize the washing cycles, increase the area’s productivity and, in the best case scenario, achieve an energy saving. This was carried out in December 2016 in order to start operating with modulating controls in the burners in January 2017. The installation of new tilting controls in the burners has made it possible to:

a) Optimize the product cleaning cycle.

b) Increase the washing capacity for the finished product.

c) Achieve savings in the consumption of LP Gas, the area’s main energy source.

Savings achieved, results and additional benefits

Let us remember that Tornillos Victoria joined the project from September 2016, at a time when the construction of the new Finishing area was underway.

For the purposes of an energy performance assessment, the second half of 2015 and the whole of 2016 have been taken into account to develop an energy baseline. Although so far it is only possible to compare with a two-month period, the results in terms of both quality and energy consumption are significant and are shown in the following table:

This case highlights the importance of taking advantage of energy efficiency potential and opportunities that arise when designing /redesigning processes or infrastructure. This is an area of opportunity that may not be immediately obvious, but becomes apparent thanks to the structured analysis carried out as part of the energy management system.

The Mexican National Commission for the Efficient Use of Energy (CONUEE) and the German Metrology Institute (PTB) make the aforementioned project available to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in order for them to implement an energy management system (EnMS) according to ISO 50001, by strengthening the skills of technical staff within each company. For more information on the pilot project, contact Lissette Mendoza Barrón, Tel. 3000 1000 ext. 1318, lissette.mendoza@conuee.gob.mx or Susanne Wendt, susanne.wendt@ptb.de