Automotive Component Manufacturing Plant

Effective management of costs is vital in the highly competitive world of automotive component manufacturing. A leading North American components manufacturer supplying the likes of GM, the Ford Motor Co and Daimler Chrysler has recently trialled Powerboss. The company is acknowledged for its technology, product design, service and delivery. It is therefore evident that the benefits from Powerboss in reducing energy, maintenance costs and downtime are valuable as part of a wider energy and cost management program. Additionally, Powerboss helps meet the aims from the company�s ISO environmental policy which states that they �will continuously improve and review our practices and processes in pollution prevention and waste reduction�.

The company�s facility features metal presses sized from 100 to 1600 ton capacity; producing hinges, glove box doors, exhaust manifolds and underbody parts. Powerboss was installed on a 30kW motor powering a metal press. In addition to reducing a previous starting current of approximately 400amps to a maximum peak of 130 amps, the energy savings were 30% when operating under its normal duty cycle. The readings taken showed that the 30kW motor only reached a usage of 15kW even under load. The savings generated equate to a payback of 20 months in energy savings alone, in addition to the peak demand and maintenance benefits from the controlled soft start.

The company has been using Powerboss technology on it�s press lines for over 16 months. Powerboss units have been installed on press motors ranging from 22kW to 75kW. The installations to date display operational energy savings from 18% - 30% respectively. It should be noted that the Powerboss savings were validated by an independent power company. Furthermore, thermal image testing was performed on the motors whereby Powerboss reduced the operational temperature by over 15�C.