Case Study – Electric Motors

Case Study:  Global pharmaceutical packaging company achieves green building initiative with ultra-premium efficient motors

Challenge:  A leading multi-national pharmaceutical packaging corporation sought to implement more environmentally sustainable processes and technologies in its manufacturing facilities, in part by upgrading to more efficient motors.

Solution:  The company purchased one highly efficient Baldor-Reliance EC Titanium motor to test against the motors currently running in its plants.  The test demonstrated a significant reduction in energy consumption while lowering operating costs, potentially providing a full return on investment in less than two years.

Result:  The company purchased additional EC Titanium motors for immediate installation on its high-priority production lines and is in discussions to upgrade all lower-efficiency motors in its main manufacturing facility.

Summary:  This company with more than 4,500 employees in 140 locations worldwide, has taken a leadership approach to the development of cleaner processes and technologies, including construction of what will be the world’s greenest-ever pharmaceutical plant.  Company leadership understands that a large portion of the world’s electricity is used to power electric motors, and upgrading to high-efficiency motors will help reduce energy consumption and environment impact while lowering costs.

By incorporating new technologies, the motor system achieves a high level of energy efficiency while using sustainable materials.  The packaging company purchased one EC Titanium motor to test against current lower-efficiency motors, and the benefits were instantly recognizable.  EC Titanium achieved an energy reduction of 12.59 kWh per day, translating to a cost savings of USD 520.00 per year, per motor.  This cost savings would realize a complete return on investment in less than two years, while greatly reducing energy usage and environmental impact.

It has been estimated that replacing 80 percent of motors currently in operation around the world with newer technologies that achieve higher efficiency levels could save more than 160 terawatt-hours of electricity each year and cut global electricity consumption by as much as 10 percent.

Source:  Plant Engineering (November / December 2022)