Schneider Electric Case Studies A clear view of power management

	A clear view of power management Schneider Electric

A clear view of power management

Schneider Electric

Technology Category	Analytics & Modeling - Real Time Analytics
Applicable Industries	Glass
Applicable Functions	Discrete Manufacturing Maintenance
Use Cases	Energy Management System Predictive Maintenance Condition Monitoring
Services	System Integration Data Science Services
Challenge	Guardian Glass, a leading glass manufacturer, was facing a challenge with its power reliability and efficiency. The company's 750,000-square-foot plant in Dewitt, Iowa operates a furnace at 2,800 ºF to pull approximately 700 tons of glass per day, every day, around the clock. The furnace is critical to the plant’s operation and any shutdown is unacceptable. However, the plant suffered a capacitor bank failure that caused the plant’s power factor to drop below the threshold where the company could claim valuable credits on its monthly energy bills. The loss of savings from the credits persisted for more than two years. Guardian Glass needed to improve its power factor over 95% to receive a monthly credit on utility bills. Read More
About Customer	Guardian Glass is a leading glass manufacturer with a 750,000-square-foot plant in Dewitt, Iowa. The plant operates a furnace at 2,800 ºF to produce approximately 700 tons of glass per day, every day, around the clock. The company is driven by an innovative spirit and a passion to advance glass technology. Guardian Glass plays a crucial role in enhancing a building’s aesthetic while augmenting its structural integrity and helping buildings achieve LEED status. The company's tagline, 'See what’s possible,' reflects its commitment to pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved with glass. Read More
Solution	To address the challenge, Guardian Glass turned to Schneider Electric to install new capacitor banks, power monitoring equipment, and software. Schneider provided reliability and efficiency through EcoStruxure Power Monitoring Expert, VarSet™ capacitor banks, and PowerLogic™ meters. These solutions were backed by a Power Advisor Digital Service Plan and Power Quality Maintenance Contract. The VarSet capacitor banks were chosen to keep the power factor consistent throughout plant operations. PowerLogic meters provided Guardian Glass with important visibility into power usage. In addition, EcoStruxure Power Monitoring Expert software gave Guardian Glass full visibility of power factor, real-time power, capacitor bank steps, and various alarms for any issues with the system. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Analytics & Modeling - Real Time Analytics

Applicable Industries

Glass

Applicable Functions

Discrete Manufacturing

Maintenance

Use Cases

Energy Management System

Predictive Maintenance

Condition Monitoring

Services

System Integration

Data Science Services

Challenge

Guardian Glass, a leading glass manufacturer, was facing a challenge with its power reliability and efficiency. The company's 750,000-square-foot plant in Dewitt, Iowa operates a furnace at 2,800 ºF to pull approximately 700 tons of glass per day, every day, around the clock. The furnace is critical to the plant’s operation and any shutdown is unacceptable. However, the plant suffered a capacitor bank failure that caused the plant’s power factor to drop below the threshold where the company could claim valuable credits on its monthly energy bills. The loss of savings from the credits persisted for more than two years. Guardian Glass needed to improve its power factor over 95% to receive a monthly credit on utility bills.

About Customer

Guardian Glass is a leading glass manufacturer with a 750,000-square-foot plant in Dewitt, Iowa. The plant operates a furnace at 2,800 ºF to produce approximately 700 tons of glass per day, every day, around the clock. The company is driven by an innovative spirit and a passion to advance glass technology. Guardian Glass plays a crucial role in enhancing a building’s aesthetic while augmenting its structural integrity and helping buildings achieve LEED status. The company's tagline, 'See what’s possible,' reflects its commitment to pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved with glass.

Solution

To address the challenge, Guardian Glass turned to Schneider Electric to install new capacitor banks, power monitoring equipment, and software. Schneider provided reliability and efficiency through EcoStruxure Power Monitoring Expert, VarSet™ capacitor banks, and PowerLogic™ meters. These solutions were backed by a Power Advisor Digital Service Plan and Power Quality Maintenance Contract. The VarSet capacitor banks were chosen to keep the power factor consistent throughout plant operations. PowerLogic meters provided Guardian Glass with important visibility into power usage. In addition, EcoStruxure Power Monitoring Expert software gave Guardian Glass full visibility of power factor, real-time power, capacitor bank steps, and various alarms for any issues with the system.

Impact #1	Guardian Glass now has the ability to determine power distribution to various processes in the plant.
Impact #2	The analytics guide managers on how to improve efficiency and reduce energy usage.
Impact #3	The company can now monitor voltage sags and determine if the cause is from the utility or within the plant.

Impact #1

Guardian Glass now has the ability to determine power distribution to various processes in the plant.

Impact #2

The analytics guide managers on how to improve efficiency and reduce energy usage.

Impact #3

The company can now monitor voltage sags and determine if the cause is from the utility or within the plant.

Benefit #1	97% power factor restored
Benefit #2	4% monthly credit on utility bills
Benefit #3	Cost savings enabled a two-year ROI

Benefit #1

97% power factor restored

Benefit #2

4% monthly credit on utility bills

Benefit #3

Cost savings enabled a two-year ROI

Download PDF Version

Overview

A clear view of power management

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit