Big picture reveals widespread savings options

• Material losses due rapid production cycles and variety of products addressed
• Materials audit identifes 50 areas for improvement
• Whole production chain optimised for both materials and energy

Martela Group’s Kidex Oy specialises in the production of furniture components, such as closets, lockers, drawers and decks. The Kidex plant is situated in Kitee, eastern Finland.

From food problem to food solution

• Programme to convert food waste into a food solution brings Tesco and FoodShare, a charity, together
• More than 300 tonnes of food diverted to those in need since the programme began

Tesco, one of the UK’s largest food retailer was looking for ways to cut food waste. It entered a partnership with FareShare, a charity which redistributes safe-to-eat food, discarded by retailers, to charities which feed poor and vulnerable groups across the UK. 

Research by WRAP estimates that around 200 000 tonnes of waste are produced during garment manufacturing each year in the UK. The research provides detail on the combined losses for cotton and polyester garments. The data suggests that between 10 % and 20 % of losses are incurred in the finishing and making-up stage of manufacturing.

Dry answer to a wet problem

• Brewery adopts semi-dry conveyor lubrication system in its bottling plant
• Saving millions of litres of water and making the working environment safer for workers

A craft brewery had a problem with the amount of water needed to lubricate its bottling conveyors and the danger to employees of spills and wet floors.

Seal of approval

Lighting is a major energy cost in industrial SMEs, especially for properties using old or poorly configured lighting technology. 

By improving lighting systems a plant can save significant energy. Replacing existing systems with energy efficient LED lights is a first step, but to gain the most from a lighting refurbishment project, several other factors should be considered. Companies need to consider optimising light in different areas using lighting controls and better placement techniques.

Suggested measures:

Maintaining your pumps is not just important for increasing their lifetime and effectiveness, which reduces costs, but also to avoid unexpected breakdowns that can slow or stop production. In most cases, pumps are designed for specific applications, so manufacturer or supplier maintenance and repair guidelines and parameters are needed.

Working together to deliver excellence

In the machining process, cooling lubricants play an important role in carrying away metal chips, cooling the workpiece and lubricating the area between tool and workpiece. The lubricant usually runs in a closed circuit, but sometimes it gets carried out with the metal chips, lost because of leaks, or degraded during regular operations. Changing to minimum-quantity lubrication (MQL) can save significant resources and money.

Foresight for office furniture ... who would have thought!