Project Coodinator
Web and dissemination
Project website
www.ecoinflow.com
Henning Horn
InnovaWood
Norsk Treteknisk Institutt
The European Forestry House
[email protected]
[email protected]
Phone: +47 90 037013
Phone: +32 2 2392300
News
The end of year was closed by organising the project meeting in
Jeglava, Latvia. The meeting was hosted by project partner
AmberWood together with MeKe (Forest and Wood Products
Research and Development Institute). Being the last project
meeting, the consortium team focused on defining the final tasks
and objectives which will help to bring Ecoinflow to a successful
end and reach the project targets.
IS03
WINTER EDITION
ECOINFLOW - Energy Control for Information Flow
Ecoinflow: Approaching to its end
PROJECT PARTNERS:
Norsk Treteknisk Institutt (NO)
SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden (SE)
Johann Heinrich von Thünen Institute (DE)
Henning Horn
Senior Researcher at Treteknisk
Project Coordinator
IN THIS ISSUE
Ecoinflow: Approaching to its end
L'Institut Technologique Forêt Cellulose
Bois-construction Ameublement (FR)
The Norwegian Sawmill Industries Association (NO)
InnovaWood (BE)
Deutsche Säge- und Holzindustrie (DE)
Having in mind that Ecoinflow is approaching to its end, the
project partners are strongly committed to more intensive project
promotion. The planned dissemination activities include the
training sessions organised for Norwegian, German and Italian
sawmills, the benchmark tool promotion event at Xylofutur
(France) in January 2015, and post-project dissemination at
Ligna fair May 2015, in Hannover.
Fédération Nationale du Bois (FR)
BSW Timber (UK)
Mühlböck (AT)
Bergkvist-Insjön AB (SE)
AmberWood LTD (LV)
Project Coordinator: Norsk Treteknisk Institutt | p: +4790037013 | f: +4790037013
WWW.ECOINFLOW.COM
The last twelve months of Ecoinflow
project were marked by intensive work on
the benchmark tool, consolidation of the
sawmill network and testing of the pilot
version of the Ecoinflow handbook. In
total fifty sawmills joined the network and
more than eighty were visited by project
experts. Valuable feedbacks were obtained
from network members in regards to the
Ecoinflow handbook and the possibilities
of EnMS implementation in sawmill
industry in general. Several case studies
were described and incorporated in the
Ecoinflow benchmark tool.
The report on current and potential savings
in primary energy consumption and GHG
emissions of the EU Sawmill industry was
produced.
This document summarizes the available
information on saving measures
evaluated in Ecoinflow so far and puts
them into context of saving targets on
different levels. The updating of the
EnMS handbook has been in progress
and it is expected that the final version
(both printed and online) will be
available in the first half of March 2015.
The project is planned to complete in
April 2015, which gives project
consortium few more months to achieve
the ambitious energy saving targets and
increase the promotion of EnMS
implementation among the sawmill
industry stakeholders.
Benchmark tool
New version of the handbook
Consolidation of the Ecoinflow
network
Interview with sawmill representative
Distribution of saving potentials
Dissemination activities in 2014
Happy 2015
EcoInflow team
New version of the handbook
Benchmark tool
The benchmarking
methodology developed
and implemented in the
Ecoinflow project to
compare industrial
practices regarding
Energy Management in
the European sawmills
industry.
The Ecoinflow Benchmark tool offers the
opportunity for companies to compare their
own energy consumption to fifty European
sawmills. The energy consumption of
participating company is compared with the
average value from other sawmills, but also
with subgroups divided according to specific
characteristics of the mills (including timber
volume received at a sawmill, type of process
(softwood or hardwood), material yield, etc.).
This information will remain anonymous.
The tool is based on a set of recommendations
from EN 16321:2012 “Energy efficiency
benchmarking methodology”. The
collaborative work of research partners defined
a five steps methodology, based on sound
specifications and strengthened by a good
understanding of European sawmill types. The
search of volunteer sawmills resulted in a
selection of a well-balanced panel of
companies for collecting energy specific data.
Practical tools were developed to ease the
homogeneous implementation of the
methodology by the partners in the different
countries, namely Norway, Sweden, Germany,
France, Italy, Unites Kingdom and Latvia. The
scope of the benchmarked activities includes
all processes performed on a sawmill site,
from the log yard (reception of the raw material) to the finished
product, including internal transport but excluding external logistics
(transportation from the forest or shipment to the clients). The
European sawmilling industry is quite diverse in terms of plant size,
production equipment and level of sawn-timber added-value. Thus,
in order to be able control the energy use and follow up the energy
efficiency improvements at a sawmill, it is necessary to group the
energy users into manageable sizes with good enough resolution
(zones).
Compare your energy consumption
By visiting Ecoinflow benchmark website, the sawmill can have a
look on macroscopic energy data resulting from land survey done
during the Ecoinflow project, but can also go further by creating its
own comparison, which will allow a company to locate its level of
energy consumption compared to different pre-recorded sawmills.
The process consists of filling some key values of the company
production profile such as sawn volumes, product type, power
consumption, etc.
Figure 1. Benchmark tool illustration.
Some good ideas to share
Moreover, the company has the opportunity to consult 'good
practice' documents available on the website. These files describe
virtuous actions implemented by sawmills to generate energy
savings.
The idea of Ecoinflow benchmark website aims to educate sawmills
companies about their energy consumption and to make them aware
of the importance of integrating energy management as an essential
competitive lever in a gloomy economic climate.
>> To access the Ecoinflow benchmark tool visit
ww.sawbenchmark.com and compare the energy
consumption of your sawmill.
The Ecoinflow EnMS handbook is one of the main
outcomes of the project. The objective of Ecoinflow is to
reduce the annual energy uses in the European sawmill
industry through international engagement, collaboration
and knowledge transfer. The project uses the international
standard ISO 50001 as a basis for implementing
tailor-made Energy Management Systems (EnMSs) in the
industry sector. The purpose of the handbook is to support
sawmills when working with energy management. It is a
guide for sawmills on how to implement a practical and
usable Energy Management System (EnMS).
By following the guide, sawmills will develop a framework
for reducing energy use and costs in a systematic way. The
first version of the EnMS handbook has been launched a
year ago. This pilot version was used for testing the
SawEnMS concept. During this pilot phase the consortium
collected valuable feedbacks and suggestions from industry
partners and members of the Ecoinflow sawmills network.
The final handbook version is due to be published in March
2015. One of the major differences to pilot handbook will
be the introduction of the “quick-start approach” which it is
a simpler version of EnMS. This approach is intended for
sawmills that have recognised that an EnMS will help them
save energy and money, but do not have resources to start
right away with all of the activities. Thus, only the most
important actions are included to secure a continuous work
with energy conservation.
Compared to the full version, the tasks that have a more
administrative or “indirect” character are excluded,
including Energy policy, Energy targets and Internal
communication. This is not to say that these steps are less
important; only that a quick way of starting with EnMS can
be to do the more “direct” steps first. This “light” version of
SawEnMS can be scaled up to the full version at any time,
by adding the remaining actions one by one. The actions
included are the ones that give the largest and most
immediate results. The work starts with appointing an
Energy team, and then the three actions (Energy review,
Action plan and Everyday activities) are repeated regularly.
Figure 1. (a) Illustration of the quick-start approach of a
SawEnMS implementation. (b) Full version of a SawEnMS
implementation.
The final EnMS handbook will also include a
significant number of best practice cases and
relevant examples, suggested first-time
procedures, pitfalls to avoid and reference
templates.
The Ecoinflow team believe that proposed
SawEnMS guidelines are made to ease
implementation at sawmills, with relevant case
studies, advice and tools that can be
implemented directly. Care has been taken to
design simple, yet robust and powerful tool for
working with energy management. SawEnMS
does not involve any certification and implies
no obligations to do things in a particular way
or in a particular order. However, the suggested
approach is based on experience from actual
EnMS implementations that have been
successful. SawEnMS is largely based on the
international standard for energy management
systems, ISO 50001. If the sawmills follow all
steps of the guide, it will create a very good
starting point to make an EnMS ready for
certification.
Consolidation of the
Ecoinflow network
Alongside with a promotion of the Ecoinflow EnMS handbook, the
consortium has been also working on building the network of
sawmills. So far fifty sawmills around Europe became the network
members. By joining to SawEnMS Ecoinflow network, the
sawmills companies have an opportunity to be actively involved in
knowledge transfer and training activities related to energy
efficiency in sawmill industry.
Jörgen Prawitz
Technical Manager, Bergkvist-Insjön AB
Do you have any Energy management system
implemented in your production site(s)? And if you do
have, could you describe it in brief?
Yes, we have an ISO 50001 certified energy management
systems since June 30. Though we are in the beginning of
working with energy management it is difficult to specify
what our savings are, but one of our goals is to save 3 % of
the used energy, every year and at every production unit.
In general, what are the main obstacles for sawmills to
apply an EnMS? And how do you think that these could
be overcome? What is stopping sawmills to implement
the energy efficiency measures?
The Ecoinflow team will make efforts to assure
that the future of the SawEnMS will not stop
with project finishing and that many more
European sawmills will continue to implement
successful EnMS systems beyond the project
life.
I think one way to get more sawmills to start an EnMS
implementation would be to give them some kind of
allowance. I think it would be difficult to get them to
attend workshops and training sessions if they can’t see the
gain in it from the start. Then they will just see it as a waste
of time. I think if you could get the sawmill manager to
understand the benefits of implementing an EnMS you’re
well on your way. Give some good examples from template
sawmills – KPI’s and values that are possible to reach with
a working EnMS
What will be your recommendation/message to other
sawmills in regards to EnMS implementation?
We found that, after some short calculations with realistic
assumptions and reachable targets, it would be unwise not
to do it – it is a competitive edge for us. The working
procedure involved in an Energy management system after
implementation can easily be transferred over to other areas
such as quality improvement etc.
One of the main obstacles for sawmills to implement an
EnMS is that it is difficult to involve the personal and make
them commit. I think that it’s important to educate the
employees and inform them about what they can do on a
personal level to decrease the energy use.
Currently the handbook online version is
available on ecoinflow.com/sawenms in 6
languages: English, French, Germany,
Norwegian, Swedish and Latvian.
The hard copy of the final version will be
available on request from March 2015.
Interview with sawmill representative
Figure 3. Ecoinflow sawmill network.
As member of Ecoinflow network the companies are encourage to
share their experiences in energy saving with other European
sawmills, build the networking capacities and participate in joint
training events and initiatives. The Ecoinflow team hope that the
idea of sawmill network in energy saving will continue to grow and
promote the energy management good practice all around EU and
worldwide.
I believe that a lot of sawmills aren’t used to working with
energy issues and that they just see it as extra work and
don’t see the profit from it. Both money and time are
needed to implement an EnMS and that makes it very
important to show the profit from an EnMS.
How to encourage sawmills to be more active in
reducing the energy consumption and starting with an
EnMS implementation? What will be the best way to
engage the sawmill industry in energy efficiency
initiatives? Do you think that the authorities and the
equipment manufacturers have an important role in
energy efficiency promotion and could they be more
active and how?
Photo. Ecoinflow team visiting Bergkvist-Insjön,
November 2012
Distribution of saving
potentials
Dissemination activities in 2014
During the 2014, the Ecoinflow partners have continued to
spread a word on the project among the different target
groups (sawmill industry, research community, policy
makers and the broader public). The promotion of the
Ecoinflow online handbook, consolidation of the Ecoinflow
sawmill network and rising the interest for our benchmark
tool have been some of the principal dissemination
activities. The project partners presented Ecoinflow
outcomes during different meetings and workshops,
targeting the stakeholders in Norway (e.g. Norwegian
Wood Drying Club 12-13 February 2014) and Sweden (e.g.
SP meetings with national energy savings project EESI and
workshop in County Administrative Board of Dalarna).
The project was also presented at eceee Industrial Summer
Study held on 2- 5 June in Papendal, Arnhem, Netherlands.
On great satisfaction of the Ecoinflow team, the project
poster won the First Prize. The member of the Ecoinflow
team Stefan Diederichs from Thünen Institute, presented
the project poster at 9th International Softwood Conference
(ISC), held on 16 - 17 October in Berlin, reaching more
than 60 representatives of the softwood industry including
the sawmills representatives. In September 2014 the project
promotion banner was a part of the SP booth at the Wood
Technology fair in Gothenburg.
During last year, Ecoinflow consortium organised also two
internal project meetings.
Figure 3. Optimization fields to reduce the primary energy
consumption and their potentials in the sawmill industry in EU 28 and
Norway
Ecoinflow estimated the distribution of available saving
potentials in the sawmill industry in EU 28 and Norway. In
the case of greenhouse gas emissions and primary energy
consumption, potentially large reduction effects in
Germany, Romania, Poland, Sweden, Finland and Austria
are expected if the required measures are implemented.
Potentials in those countries make up for more than 50 % of
the total available reductions in the EU sawmill industry.
Besides optimizing the drying process, refurbishment of
lights, engines, conveyors and hydraulics should be focused
as well as the optimization of processes in general.
Photos. Project
presented at
different
workshops,
conferences
and fairs.
Figure 4. Potentials of reducing the primary energy
consumption in the sawmill industry by country (% of
total reduction potential in the sawmill industry in EU 28
and Norway)
One of the meetings was held in Brussels on 23rd of July,
during the sustainable energy week- EUSEW. By
publishing the information on the project activities on
EUSEW website and programme, the consortium used
yet another opportunity to raise the project profile among
broader public.