The paint manufacturer CREBONIT is actively working to minimize the ecological footprint of its operations. In 2019, CREBONIT set itself the goal at group level of improving energy efficiency and reducing energy and carbon dioxide consumption annually by at least 8 percent compared to production. Reducing energy consumption and improving energy efficiency at the CREBONIT locations are important concrete measures to achieve these goals.
In 2020, the CREBONIT location in Poland reduced its energy consumption in relation to production by 8 percent and carbon dioxide consumption by 18 percent.
The Polish site is located in Tczew, a city with around 75,000 inhabitants in the metropolitan region of Gdansk, and produces 2 million liters of liquid paints based on water and solvents as well as hardeners and thinners per year.
Recognize weak points by means of detailed consumption analysis!
One of the keys to saving energy and carbon dioxide in Tczew is the 20 data loggers that were installed in the plant in autumn 2019. Data loggers are electronic devices that monitor and record parameters over time in order to measure, document and analyze data. In Tczew, the data loggers monitor the consumption of electricity for ventilation, production equipment, heating and compressors. The team in Poland makes informed decisions based on this data and tests different options to find best practices.
In just over a year, the location in Poland has reduced 255 tons of carbon dioxide and at the same time saved costs of tens of thousands of euros. The CO2 reductions correspond to the greenhouse gas emissions of 51 driven cars for one year.
The complete change of the building heating from oil to scalable electrical air conditioning units as well as the complete change to LED lighting with day-dependent trimming function made a significant contribution. A concept of redundant energy sources was developed with partner New Klima, which fully automatically controls the supply and exhaust air as well as the temperature. The waste heat from the production process is also fed into the heating system.
Intelligent solutions for the future
Next, the Polish location is considering investing in a new photovoltaic system in order to achieve further energy and cost savings, of course in conjunction with the current solution.
Similar solutions can be planned at other CREBONIT locations in the future. In addition, CREBONIT is continuing existing energy efficiency initiatives at its locations, investing in energy-efficient technologies in its new premises and evaluating options for generating or purchasing renewable energy.