Conbraco Industries
Pageland, South Carolina
Overview
Conbraco Industries, Inc. has four facilities: a brass foundry/ machining
facility and an assembly/distribution facility in Pageland, a steel
foundry/machining plant in Conway SC, and corporate headquarters and a plumbing/heating
line of products in Matthews NC. The company manufactures, finishes
and assembles brass and steel ball valves. In business since 1928, Conbraco
has been in serves all industries with a primary focus
on the petroleum and pulp and paper industries. The company has a total of
1,400 employees at all locations.
The Challenge
Carroll Jenkins, Conbraco’s facilities manager, began looking
at energy costs in an effort to be more competitive. At the same
time, he was introduced to us by Cheri McCoy, Chesterfield
County economic development director.
We had just announced the availability of a grant from the U.S.
Department of Energy (USDOE) for metal casting manufacturers. The
$178,400 grant was awarded to assist the state’s
metal casting manufacturers with plant productivity improvements,
profitability enhancement, and decreased energy consumption and
waste.
The Solution
Conbraco qualified for participation in the USDOE grant program.
Charles Rampey, manufacturing consultant for EnergySC, conducted
an energy assessment, walk-through audit, and compressed air leak
survey in all South Carolina facilities. Rampey questioned billing
methods on electrical bills and located numerous air leaks, many
of which were in the brass foundry.
We next assisted Conbraco in correcting billing errors, installing
capacitors to improve power factor, and repairing the compressed
air leaks.
The Impact
The immediate results of billing corrections and capacitor
installations was $110,000 annually toward Conbraco’s bottom
line. The total impact of all work to-date is approximately
$860,000. Future projects include a sales tax review and a competitiveness
review, SCMEP’s nationally recognized assessment tool used
to analyze a facility and determine its limiting factors.
“I couldn’t be happier with the results SCMEP has achieved
by partnering with our company,” said Jenkins. “We plan
to continue working with their manufacturing specialists
to reduce energy costs, reduce waste, and increase Conbraco’s
bottom line.”
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