SAFRAN LANDING SYSTEM MÉXICO
Pilot Project
"Introduction to Energy Efficiency and Energy Management Systems in SMEs in Mexico"
Example of energy efficiency improvement Safran Landing System México S.A. de C.V.: Adaptation of operational control to improve utilisation
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 Safran Landing System México S.A. de C.V., formerly known as Messier-Dowty Mexico, S.A. de C.V., located in the city of Queretaro and specializing in the manufacture of structural components for landing gear, identified the heat treatment furnace used in the tempering process for the semi-finished product as a Significant Energy Use (SEU).
Due to operating conditions, the furnace in question functioned on average at 67.5% of its capacity.
Description of the improvement
Once the energy review had been carried out and the process area had been included by the energy team, an operational control strategy was identified and established, which determined that the furnaces should operate with a minimum load of 3 parts, thereby raising the average capacity utilization to 75%.
Once the operation was stabilized and maintained a minimum of 3 parts per load, measures were implemented to increase the productivity and the occupation of critical equipment using a warning system. This has the ability to immediately identify equipment shutdowns and therefore energy waste.
It should be mentioned that an additional improvement was the identification of other variables and situations that place a burden on the air conditioning system, such as heat dissipation by machining equipment with unaddressed thermal emissions. An insulation system is currently being implemented for machining equipment that allows heat to be captured and dissipated directly to the outside of the sheds.
The company is also working on improvements to the equipment in order to capture the heat generated by friction and to recover it for side processes.
A very important point and one that is really a unique success story is that during the project the number of machines with medium energy consumption has increased and the improvement in energy performance initially obtained has been maintained.
The level of production has been increased while maintaining the energy consumption projected from the baseline, which results in a lower energy index per part produced than the one that existed before the start of the project.
Savings achieved, results and additional benefits
This case is an example of how significant energy savings can be achieved through operational modifications in production processes, which do not require capital investment.
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
