Hörle Wire shares insights on financial savings and how to reduce peak loads with DAZOQ EI
CHALLENGES & GOALS
Do we guess or do we know?
Hörle Wire AB manufactures and refines steel wire and is part of the Hörle Wire Group, which is one of Europe's leading suppliers of high-quality round and flat-rolled wire. Hörle Wire mainly wanted to gain knowledge and insight into how much energy is used to process their material, but also has a strong drive when it comes to optimizing and energy efficiency to contribute to a more sustainable world. DAZOQ was presented and site manager Johan Thörnblad thought that the system seemed user-friendly with a simple installation and felt that a system like DAZOQ EI, with real-time measurement, was a given option to be able to push the work forward. "We want to see how much we use and how we can influence our energy use. The great thing about DAZOQ EI is that it's so easy, it doesn't even take a minute to check out what it looks like. With that information, I can get fact-based information that helps us optimize our production. If I hadn't had a system like DAZOQ, it would have been a huge guess - with probably an equally large margin of error." – – Johan Thörnblad.
Results & Insights
Proactivity through real-time measurement
One concrete example of DAZOQ EI's impact on Hörle Wire is the management of temperature-sensitive areas. Johan explains: "We have a utility room that is sensitive to high temperatures and not frequented much. DAZOQ EI helps us be more proactive by monitoring the cooling system and setting an alarm on it. This way, we find out immediately if it malfunctions or is turned off, allowing us to take action before it gets too hot and before the electronics are damaged in the long run." – Johan Thörnblad
Optimization of production processes and reduction of peak loads
With the help of DAZOQ EI, Hörle Wire has reduced their energy usage by 6% compared to the previous year. But it doesn't stop there—Hörle has also gained knowledge and insights into their efficiency and peak loads. With DAZOQ EI, they can strategically plan and distribute start times to avoid coinciding peak loads. For instance, they can consider shifting shifts to the night to avoid using and starting all machines simultaneously. Hörle has specifically identified 3-4 processes that are particularly energy-intensive during startup, and Johan argues that demand charges are something that all companies with high consumption should pay more attention to. "For heavy energy consumers, peak loads contribute to almost as high costs as the electricity itself. It's essential to ensure that energy-intensive processes do not coincide. Many focus primarily on the electricity price and reducing it as much as possible but overlook the demand charge. However, everyone in Sweden pays a certain amount for electricity transmission/kW. For example, if we can delay the startup of certain processes by 10 minutes until other processes reach their lower levels, we can actively contribute to reducing peak loads and save several thousand kronor. I believe this is something that will be interesting for many industries in the future." – Johan Thörnblad
FUTURE OUTLOOK
Fact-based decisions and economic savings
Hörle Wire has not only seen significant financial savings but also increased awareness of energy consumption and its impact on the company's finances. They recognize the collective responsibility to contribute to a more balanced electricity market. Johan and the team at Hörle will continue to monitor their energy to become even more efficient, and he is optimistic about the future. For Johan, measurement is the only answer to improvement because if you don't measure, how will you know? With a system like DAZOQ, you can gain knowledge about which activities to focus on to bring about change and improvement. "Many times we are too focused on the result, but it's the activities leading up to the result that we need to understand. I'm grateful that DAZOQ EI helps us with that." – Johan Thörnblad.
Hörle Wire looks forward to continuing its journey towards increased energy efficiency and sustainability with DAZOQ EI as a reliable partner by their side. Do you want to know more about how we can help you reduce peak loads and save energy and money? Click here and to book a demo viewing.