The sixth NSG Group Environmental Project Award has been awarded to the San Salvo site in Italy, Architectural Glass Float operations and Automotive OE, for their ‘Water consumption reduction’ project.
This project significantly reduces the amount of water taken from a local river used for several applications at the site. This has been done by improving the efficiency of water usage in the production processes such as automated valves, increased water recycling and the use of rainwater. In the past two years the site has saved over 1.980.000 m
3 of water equivalent to 800 Olympic size swimming pools. Water that has not been used by the site is now used by Local Public Consortium to purify it for drinking, helping the community especially during the dry summer months when due to tourism the water consumption in the region is higher than average.
The judging panel made four additional Commendations as follows:
Maizuru Plant, Japan, Fine glass division: ‘Development of a scheme of Glass Disk cullet returned from customers’
The team developed and implemented a cullet returning scheme from customers back to the M1F Fine Glass Float site in Maizuru. This reduces customers’ industrial waste, whilst reducing CO
2, raw material and fuel consumption in Maizuru.
NGF Europe, UK, Creative Technology SBU: ‘Energy and Carbon reduction’
The project team implemented a new pollution control plant with a regenerative thermal Oxidiser combined with waste heat recovery to heat the glass cord drying ovens. The project reduces gas consumption by ca 60 per cent.
Rossford plant, USA, Architectural Glass Float operations and Automotive OE fabrication: ‘Solar Array Installation’
The Rossford team installed a new 1.4MW photovoltaic solar array. This will supply about 2.5 million kWh of renewable energy per annum.
Cacapava plant, Brazil, Automotive OE SBU: ‘Compressed air set point reduction’
This project addresses the expensive and energy intensive production of compressed air. The project team investigated and arranged a reduction in compressed air pressure in the Caçapava manufacturing plant from 8 to 5.6 bar. Every 1 bar pressure reduction represents six per cent energy reduction in the electric compressor motors.
The judges faced a challenge of reducing 46 environmental applications down to final ten, and further to these selected projects. There were projects regarding energy, water, hazardous materials, waste and recycling - all critical for the environment and the NSG Group.
The final award criteria focused on significant reduction of environmental impact, innovation, wider employee involvement and transferability. It was felt that the winning projects should take the Group beyond regulatory requirements and lead to a better overall performance.