AkzoNobel packaging coatings factory in the UK has invested to reduce energy use and process time.
An agitator upgrade at the Birmingham Packaging Coatings is said to be saving 20 minutes from a nine-hour batch time and able to use 60% less energy compared to the previous system.
According to AkzoNobel, the payback on the investment in Ekato agitators is ‘well under three years’.
The site manufactures water-based coatings that protect the food and beverage contents from the metal can and the metal can from the contents.
“The growth of the business has required that we identify cost-effective improvements to lower batch times and reduce the number of breakdowns to achieve a threefold increase in volume,” says engineering manager, Scott Love. He continues, “We also had a higher level of maintenance, notably due to a build up of material around the agitator shaft and heating coils, reducing heat transfer capability which ultimately increases the process times and requires cleaning every three months.” Ekato upgraded with its new Viscoprop Impeller and electric motor technology that features a smaller 15kW motor for a still better mixing performance than the previous 75kW unit.
When the electrical drive is not powering the agitator it consumes no energy, to generate CO2 savings of 369 tonnes/year and equivalent to 9% of the site emissions.
“This investment will significantly help our organisation make strides with process reliability, energy consumption and environmental matters,” says Greg Methven, AkzoNobel site manager of Birmingham.
