Client Overview
Grain Millers is a top agricultural food business specializing in whole grain manufacturing. While the company continues to excel in its industry, Grain Millers was in the beginning stages of implementing new sustainability efforts at the corporate level, and they needed some guidance and momentum at individual plant locations.
Project Background and Objectives
Grain Millers approached Alliant Energy and Michaels Energy seeking help in identifying and reducing energy waste in their St. Ansgar, Iowa facility. Without a clear understanding of their energy usage patterns or the necessary benchmarks, they needed assistance in creating a path forward. Our primary objective was to develop a baseline of their energy usage, identify energy-saving measures, and help Grain Millers implement strategies to improve their efficiency, reduce waste, and lower operational costs.
Solutions Implemented and Results
Our work resulted in several key energy-saving initiatives:
- Established Energy-Efficient Habits: We helped the company adopt new operations and maintenance procedures, ensuring that equipment was turned off when not in use and compressed air leaks were swiftly resolved.
- Developed Monitoring and Visibility Tool: Michaels Energy provided guidance to develop a custom dashboard to display monthly utility bills, other energy costs, and highlight energy-saving tips. This gave Grain Millers real-time insight into their energy usage and actionable advice for improvement.
- Created Employee Feedback and Reporting Systems: As a result of our SEM practices, Grain Millers set up a submission box on their internal company portal where employees could suggest energy-efficient ideas and report deficiencies such as air leaks or malfunctioning equipment.
- Suggested Process Improvements: We evolved their work order process to flag and prioritize tasks related to energy efficiency. This ensures potential EE improvements are tracked and integrated into their operations.
- Determined New KPI for Energy Efficiency: A KPI was established to track kWh per ton of production, helping them tie energy efficiency directly to production metrics.
As a result of these solutions, over the course of nine months, Grain Millers saved a total of 6.34% of their baseline energy savings.
Conclusion
Grain Millers made significant strides in their energy efficiency journey by partnering with our team. Through their energy team formation, behavioral changes, process optimizations, and the creation and implementation of new performance metrics, the company is now better equipped to manage energy usage. This project not only led to substantial energy and cost savings but also provided Grain Millers with a sustainable framework for ongoing efficiency improvements.
Client Feedback
“Michaels Energy was the catalyst we needed to get started with analyzing our utility usage. Their help was a good combination of how to work and set goals as a team, coupled with technical expertise to assist us in developing utility-saving/green action items that made the most sense for our company. The regular meetings got us into a routine, keeping the momentum of obtaining our goals going forward.” – Kelly Carlson, Cost Analyst, Grain Millers
