REVIEW ener.CON Europe 2012

From the 15th to the 16th of March, we.CONECT invited Managing Directors and leading Managers to the annual ener.CON Europe 2012 conference in Berlin.
More than 90 attendees used the ener.CON Europe 2012 conference to discuss about current challenges, brand new approaches and future trends in the field of energy efficiency. ...

Demand side improvements in energy efficiency & energy savings in plants & facilities for asset & energy intensive industries

17 Industrial Best Practice Case Studies, World Café Round Tables, Icebreaker & Morning Sessions – ener.CON Europe – The leading event for improving energy efficiency for asset intensive industries in Europe

2012 will be probably one of the most difficult years to forecast for some time. Concerns remain about the changing business environment and the slowdown in the global economy.

Global competition (mainly from BRIC Countries), maturing markets, over-capacity plants, increasing environmental pressure, and rising raw material prices continue to challenge the profitability of asset intensive industries such as steel, glass, chemical, pulp & paper, cement, oil & gas, petrochemicals / refineries, food, pharmaceuticals, metals, iron & steel and aluminium.

Foreseeable shortage of raw materials, rising production costs and oligopolies in the electricity sector, for example, contribute to a significant extent in the steadily rising energy prices. Increasing energy demand, global climate change, and constrained energy supplies are likely to impact how energy affects business in the future. If energy prices also rise dramatically, due to increased demand and constrained supply, business impacts will include reduced profits due to high operating costs and loss of competitiveness in energy intensive businesses. Excessive energy costs directly reduce the company's balance sheet. At the same time for the protection of the environment it is urgently needed to reduce the amount of CO2 emissions. Who against this background, decides to save energy, will not only reduce operating costs but also provides the foundation for sustainable competitiveness of their company.

Especially in the asset intensive industries that use a large amount of heat, energy represents a key controllable cost and it can be as high as 20% of the total operating costs therefore achieving optimum energy efficiency has become vital in the battle to reach operational excellence and maximum profitability. To accomplish excellent energy efficiency in existing processes new approaches are needed.

Investments in energy efficient manufacturing technologies, analyzing and optimizing processes in plants and manufacturing driven business as well as developing methods and establishing systems with a strong view to energy efficiency is significant for company health and market success. Looking round for solutions to reduce energy consumption is not a nice to have or junior level task but a major issue for management boards and directors. With substitution of inefficient components like pneumatics, pumps, fans, drives and compressors as well as with the establishment of energy reuse applications companies can realize and achieve the highest energy efficiency. In addition, benefits can be provided by energy management systems (for monitoring and analyzing energy flows and determining energy costs) in plants and facilities.

The efficient use of energy is, today and in the future, a key competitive factor for asset intensive and in these regard energy intensive companies. Systematic energy management helps to reduce energy consumption significantly and counteract rising energy costs. This includes efficient energy controlling, as well as economic use of energy and the best possible energy procurement. But long lasting success can only be achieved if these various measures are integrated into a stable organisational infrastructure and a target-oriented process.

In this regard, the ener.CON Europe 2012 will focus and discuss with leading companies from more than 30 countries strategic approaches and operational improvements in energy efficiency & savings in plants & facilities (demand side) for asset intensive industries.

We look forward to welcoming you!

Your we.CONECT team