Cookies on Zenoot

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. More info

3 minute read

Case Study: Kodak Alaris cuts energy costs by 11%

Kodak Alaris was formed in 2013, born from one of the world’s most iconic brands. It is known globally for manufacturing state of the art photographic and imaging equipment.

Kodak Alaris’ challenge

Kodak Alaris was looking for ways to reduce energy costs and operational planning time at its manufacturing site. With a complex on-site generation set up, the company needed a strategy that used generation and consumption assets in the most efficient way.

As with many manufacturers, creating this operational strategy can be a time consuming process, that often requires manual data-entry and complicated calculations. For Kodak Alaris, these were based on broad averages, rather than accurate Day Ahead half-hourly market information. A practical, low-cost solution was needed, to help the company respond to market information more effectively.

The solution – Site Optimisation

Ørsted’s Site Optimisation is a cloud based solution. It uses sophisticated algorithms to calculate the optimal run schedule for an operating plant. To do this, it analyses market signals, such as wholesale energy prices, in relation to operating constraints and asset availability. It then creates bespoke, daily run schedules that detail the commercially optimal way to operate equipment, schedule production, and generate electricity on-site or export to the grid.

Run schedules are accessed via an online web portal, where plant information can be entered or updated, and the result can be viewed and printed ready for use at the site.

 

Ørsted supported Kodak Alaris using their site optimisation solution / Picture: Ørsted

 

David Jeans, Energy Manager at Kodak Alaris summarised the benefits to their business ” Now we enter plant information through the web portal. It then analyses all of the information, and produces our optimum daily run schedule.

“I’m able to take the information directly from the interface, print it out, and hand it to our operational staff in our morning production meeting. Everyone finds it really easy to use, as the solutions are always practical. It’s a very different plant from previously: we’d have a plan for the week that didn’t change all week because it was built on averages. Now we have a plan that changes from hour to hour, and that really optimises what the plant is doing each day.

“I have weekly calls with our Account Manager at Ørsted, which helps us to keep an eye on things and make sure things are developing in the right direction. If anything unexpected happens, it’s reassuring to know that we also have access to technical support whenever we need it. We get to speak directly to the people who built the system, so they really know how it works and can work quickly to resolve any problems.

Graphic: Ørsted

He concluded: “From the word go, it’s been a collaborative experience and we’ve been able to establish great relationships with the technical support team at Ørsted, both in London and in Denmark. Their expertise complements ours, and they were extremely quick to understand the complexities of our site and what we were looking to achieve. I would definitely recommend Site Optimisation to other businesses which work similarly to ours. From a business perspective, the savings you achieve by using the solution make it a no-brainer.”

How it works

Site analysis – Before Site Optimisation ‘went live’, Ørsted assessed Kodak Alaris’ operational and technical requirements, focusing on the consumption of gas andelectricity, export potential, and the variable need for steam. Site visits also allowed Ørsted’s consultants to determine any operational assets, such as start-up periods and running times.
Daily schedules – Once operational, Site Optimisation calculated the optimal daily run schedules for Kodak Alaris against changing market prices, therefore reducing the time required to plan operations.
Ongoing support – The technical team at Ørsted was available via telephone or email to deal with any issues that Kodak Alaris encountered. Having met all key Ørsted team members in person during implementation, Kodak Alaris found it easy to make contact whenever the need arose.