GKN Sinter Metals Facility Completes Strategic Energy Management Program

GERMANTOWN – Completing Focus on Energy’s Strategic Energy Management program has revealed big energy and cost savings for GKN Sinter Metals’ Germantown facility.

A team of GKN Sinter Metals employees worked with Focus on Energy for a little more than two years to implement a continuous improvement program for energy management. The Strategic Energy Management (SEM) Program helps integrate energy considerations into organizational decision-making and operational activities. 

GKN Sinter Metals is the world‘s leading supplier of metal powder precision components with a history dating back to the 1930s, with more than 6,500 employees at production sites across the globe.

GKN Sinter Metals’ facility in Germantown was recently recognized for completing the SEM program. Their efforts garnered $144,500 in incentives from Focus on Energy, Wisconsin’s energy efficiency and renewable energy program funded by participating electric and natural gas utilities.

The Germantown plant operates up to 24 hours per day, seven days per week. We Energies services the plant’s electric and natural gas needs.

The SEM Program provides technical, management and financial support for implementing an energy management program, identifying and implementing energy saving opportunities, and tracking energy performance improvements. The GKN Sinter Metals facility is one of 30 Wisconsin companies participating in the SEM Program.

“We made the business decision to take energy and integrate it in our business processes to ensure that we are looking at energy at all stages of our business decisions from purchasing new equipment, allocating resources, managing schedules and development in our standard operating procedures. Then checking and reviewing the impacts of our decisions by tracking the efficient use of energy in the plant and at key assets,” said Wayne Spearman, GKN Plant Manager.

“We were ready and committed to taking a comprehensive approach to managing our energy,” he added. “Focus on Energy provided the support to make our SEM effort and ISO 50001 Energy Management Certification efforts a reality.”

A team of GKN Sinter Metals employees led by John Rau, Health Safety and Environmental Manager, worked with Wisconsin’s Focus on Energy program to implement the management process, enhance energy data collection and analysis capabilities, and pursue energy efficiency projects along with the certification to ISO 50001.

GKN Sinter Metals implemented projects included extensive metering and monitoring, furnace upgrades and management, upgrades to lighting and compressed air systems improvements.

“In terms of total energy usage, these improvements have saved the equivalent of more than 1.5 million kilowatt hours of electricity and more than 30 thousand therms of natural gas. That’s enough energy savings to power 139 Wisconsin homes every year,” said Richard Feustel, Focus on Energy’s advisor to GKN Sinter Metals.

“The efforts made on furnace utilization and management, lighting projects, compressed air management and others energy efficiency projects have reduced their impact to the environment, and the nearly $136,000 in energy savings go straight to their bottom-line,” Feustel said. “That makes this major Wisconsin employer more efficient and competitive in the global marketplace.”

As of June 2017, GKN Sinter Metals’ Germantown facility improved its electric efficiency by 6.6 percent and its natural gas efficiency by nearly 15.5 percent over its 2015 baseline period. 

“Focus on Energy information, resources and financial incentives help implement projects that otherwise would not get completed, or to complete projects sooner than scheduled,” Feustel added. 

Since joining SEM, GKN Sinter Metals has assembled projects that will save over 6 million kilowatt hours and 525,000 therms of natural gas. This is equivalent to 1,000 cars off the road and enough to power 500 homes year after year after year. Once fully implemented, GKN will save $531,000 annually.

For more information on how Focus on Energy can impact your business’ bottom line, visit www.focusonenergy.com/business.

​

Shown at the SEM recognition ceremony on December 15 (from left): John Martin, GKN Sinter Metals Maintenance Supervisor; Wayne Spearman, GKN Sinter Metals Plant Manager; John Rau, GKN Sinter Metals Health Safety and Environmental Manager; Richard Feustel, Focus on Energy Senior Energy Advisor; Roger M. Kirgues, We Energies Principal Account Manager and Business Development Manager.  

About GKN

GKN is a global engineering group. Every day we drive the wheels of hundreds of millions of cars, we help thousands of aircraft to fly, we deliver the power to move earth and harvest crops, and we make essential components for industries that touch lives across the globe. For more information visit https://www.gkn.com/.

About Focus on Energy

Focus on Energy is Wisconsin utilities' statewide energy efficiency and renewable resource program funded by the state's investor-owned energy utilities and participating municipal and electric cooperative utilities. Focus on Energy works with eligible Wisconsin residents and businesses to install cost-effective energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. Focus on Energy information, resources and financial incentives help to implement projects that otherwise would not be completed. Its efforts help Wisconsin residents and businesses manage rising energy costs, promote in-state economic development, protect our environment and control Wisconsin's growing demand for electricity and natural gas. For more information call 800.762.7077 or visit www.focusonenergy.com.