Energy efficiency and your shop

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has been a humanitarian crisis first and foremost, with millions of people having to flee the country for their safety. Even if the hostilities end soon, the repercussions for those on the ground will continue to reverberate.

Hand in hand with that comes political uncertainty and continued impacts on the global economy. There is concern that the war could spark another global chip shortage and, of course, the energy markets are ripe for a roller coaster ride.

The inflationary pressures in which this situation puts businesses everywhere makes this a good time to consider how efficiently your shop is running. It might be a good time to revisit your preventive maintenance practices to ensure all of your equipment is working at peak efficiency.

It’s also worth looking at all the peripherals that are still key to running your business. For instance, are your lights as efficient as they could be, or could they use an upgrade? And are you powering down equipment that isn’t in use? It might be worth a renewed discussion among staff to develop a best-practices approach to energy use in your operations.

It could be a useful time to consider the workhorses on your shop floor as well. Is that older piece of equipment paying for itself anymore, or is it holding you back? We often talk about newer equipment in terms of speed and production efficiency, but there’s a concomitant energy efficiency attached to that also.

For instance, a fibre laser costs substantially less to operate versus a comparably powered CO₂ laser. Is it time to upgrade a machine that serves utility purposes at crunch production times?

There will be several opportunities to discuss the energy efficiency of new technologies with suppliers in person this spring, with Metalworking & Manufacturing Expos taking place in Winnipeg and Moncton in April and May, and FABTECH Canada taking place at the Congress Centre in Toronto in June. A first look at some of what you will see at FABTECH Canada can be found here. Watch for more information about what to expect in our May issue. I look forward to seeing you at these events.