“We have sourced 100 percent renewable electricity for our operations at Åshammar since 2011 and we continuously work to optimise energy efficiency,” explained Anders Sjölund, manager production projects & production IT at Bumax. “Two of our recent investments have not only significantly reduced our electricity use, but also made water and cost savings.”
The 90 MWh electricity savings from these two investments are equivalent to around 7% of the site’s total electricity use in 2023.
Bumax installed a new fastener carrier coating bath in the autumn of 2022 that is insulated to reduce heating demand and is enclosed to minimise evaporation. The investment is part of ongoing improvements in its operations. In its first year in operation in 2023, the bath is said to have saved Bumax around 50 MWh and more than 70,000 Liters of water compared with its old bath.
The carrier coating bath has automated heating and ventilation systems with energy saving modes. A pump stirs the bath solution, which is more energy efficient than the pressurised air circulation system in the old bath.
Bumax also replaced its central domestic hot water electric boiler with four smaller boilers that produce hot water close to where it is consumed. The hot water is used for the kitchen, washrooms and showers at the factory. The new boilers save around 40 MWh of electricity per year compared with the old central boiler.
