Manufacturing Company Uses RETX LMD to Locate Problems and Save Costs

4/19/2002

Lowell, MA--In the city that began the industrial revolution, another manufacturing revolution is occurring.
The Freudenberg Nonwovens Group prides itself on its conservation efforts. So when Plant Manager, Greg Watka was introduced in December last year by Massachusetts Electric Company to the ISO New England Load Response Program, he saw an opportunity.

Says Watka, "We’re in a highly competitive manufacturing field, and to meet world demand for our products we operate 24X7. However, our campus had one electric meter and we had no idea where the electrons that we were paying for were really going."

A field representative of Massachusetts Electric Company, a subsidiary of National Grid USA introduced Watka to a new program using the RETX Load Management DispatcherÔ. Massachusetts Electric supplies electricity to 1.2 million customers in 170 cities and towns. Last year Massachusetts Electric began to implement ISO New England’s Load Response Program, a regional effort to equip large energy end-users with RETX’s Internet-based tools enabling customers to monitor their load and electricity prices as well as receive requests for load reductions at their facility.

"Through our Rep, RETX installed additional metering that monitored usage in near-real time, and we saw immediately that we could use the RETX software as a diagnostic tool. For the last several months we’ve closely monitored our kilowatt hours as we’ve experimented with different configurations of machine production. By making some adjustments in the coordination of our equipment, we are beginning to see a change. Last year we used just under 10 million kilowatts of energy. Now we’re targeting a 25 to 30 percent reduction, and at the same time trying to avoid peak time spikes and use more off-peak kilowatt hours. That translates to a significant cost savings as well as doing our part to conserve in the use of our region’s energy resources."

Freudenberg Nonwovens Group has 140 employees in the Lowell area, and produces non-woven textiles for use in the automotive and computer industries.

The ISO New England Load Response Program began in May of last year. Its major objective was to improve grid reliability and reduce certain system-wide operating expenses. At this time, over 130 companies and organizations in New England are enrolled in the program. ISO New England Inc. is the not-for-profit corporation responsible for the day-to-day reliable operation of New England’s bulk power grid, as well as the administrator of the region’s wholesale electricity marketplace. ISO New England is based in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Its Web site can be found at www.iso-ne.com.

RETX works throughout North America with electric and gas distribution utilities, load serving entities, ISOs, and retail energy service providers. The company provides fully integrated, customized and secure Web-based services, including load management, customer enrollment, meter information management, retail settlements, curtailment management, assisting with audit capability, and more. ...

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Manufacturing Company Uses RETX LMD to Locate Problems and Save Costs
4/19/2002
Lowell, MA--In the city that began the industrial revolution, another manufacturing revolution is occurring. The Freudenberg Nonwovens Group prides itself on its conservation efforts. So when Plant Manager, Greg Watka was introduced in December last year by Massachusetts Electric Company to the ISO New England Load Response Program, he saw an opportunity. Says Watka, "We’re in a highly competitive manufacturing field, and to meet world demand for our products we operate 24X7. However, our campus had one electric meter and we had no idea where the electrons that we were paying for were really going." A field representative of Massachusetts Electric Company, a subsidiary of National Grid USA introduced Watka to a new program using the RETX Load Management DispatcherÔ. Massachusetts Electric supplies electricity to 1.2 million customers in 170 cities and towns. Last year Massachusetts Electric began to implement ISO New England’s Load Response Program, a regional effort to equip large energy end-users with RETX’s Internet-based tools enabling customers to monitor their load and electricity prices as well as receive requests for load reductions at their facility. "Through our Rep, RETX installed additional metering that monitored usage in near-real time, and we saw immediately that we could use the RETX software as a diagnostic tool. For the last several months we’ve closely monitored our kilowatt hours as we’ve experimented with different configurations of machine production. By making some adjustments in the coordination of our equipment, we are beginning to see a change. Last year we used just under 10 million kilowatts of energy. Now we’re targeting a 25 to 30 percent reduction, and at the same time trying to avoid peak time spikes and use more off-peak kilowatt hours. That translates to a significant cost savings as well as doing our part to conserve in the use of our region’s energy resources." Freudenberg Nonwovens Group has 140 employees in the Lowell area, and produces non-woven textiles for use in the automotive and computer industries. The ISO New England Load Response Program began in May of last year. Its major objective was to improve grid reliability and reduce certain system-wide operating expenses. At this time, over 130 companies and organizations in New England are enrolled in the program. ISO New England Inc. is the not-for-profit corporation responsible for the day-to-day reliable operation of New England’s bulk power grid, as well as the administrator of the region’s wholesale electricity marketplace. ISO New England is based in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Its Web site can be found at www.iso-ne.com. RETX works throughout North America with electric and gas distribution utilities, load serving entities, ISOs, and retail energy service providers. The company provides fully integrated, customized and secure Web-based services, including load management, customer enrollment, meter information management, retail settlements, curtailment management, assisting with audit capability, and more. ... # # #