Efficient Manufacturing News
Bonson saves $37,000 through staff energy training
Staff at Bonson Industrial Co Ltd in Auckland, have made changes worth more than $37,000 in energy savings after receiving a new one-day energy efficiency training course through Plastics New Zealand.
PNZ member Bonson Industrial Co Ltd, took part in the training course as part of a programme that aims to cut energy use in the sector by at least 5.8 GWh over 3 years.
The energy efficiency training course took place on site at Bonson in New Lynn, Auckland, and was led by an external energy expert. Operational staff were first shown the common ways to save energy in a typical plastics factory, and then were taught how to identify and quantify energy saving opportunities themselves.
The energy expert then led Bonson staff on an energy “treasure hunt”, a method pioneered by Toyota in their global drive for efficient manufacturing. They looked for efficiency opportunities in the Bonson factory using auditing equipment such as thermal imaging cameras and ultrasonic leak detectors. Cost savings were then calculated under the guidance of the expert, and an action plan was created as a result.
The Bonson team identified good savings opportunities in their compressed air, chilled water and pumping systems. These initiatives have already been completed, saving an estimated $37,000 a year in energy.
Even larger opportunities are being investigated further, such as changes to plant lighting, and closer controls on injection moulding machine heating. These could lead to even bigger annual savings for Bonson.
“It was very useful for staff at every level, from management to operational” says David Tsui, Director of Bonson; “And getting our staff to help find the savings opportunities they were much more energised to follow through and make changes. The savings on our annual energy bills make the $1,000 investment very worthwhile.”
This one-day Energy Training Course is available to any plastics manufacturer at a cost of $2,500 +GST. But members of Plastics New Zealand can get the training for just $1,000 +GST thanks to the exclusive partnership PNZ has with the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority.
Contact Simon Wilkinson of Plastics NZ on 021 944992 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more details or to book your training day.