CASE STUDY

CTC Packaging was interested in gathering accurate data to evaluate their energy usage/conservation efforts in order for their business to improve in both efficiency and safety. Maintenance Director, Chris Groger, had been working with team members on continuous improvement initiatives to conserve energy and become more efficient. They recognized the value in having accurate data to assess areas of operation for the impact on energy efficiency for both their facility and the environment, as well as increased safety for their employees.

NWIRC facilitated discussions regarding a project related to E3 (Energy, Environment, Economics) among the expertise of the Pennsylvania Technical Assistance Program (PennTAP) and Lean Consultant, Craig Corsi. Via a grant through the Department of Energy (DoE), PennTAP was able to offer support from senior engineering students to provide a customized, hands-on analysis of production processes to identify efficiency gains, cost reductions, waste, emission reductions, and energy savings. Due to the strength and durability of the wood, the saw line is responsible for the majority of the electrical usage, historically cutting approximately 7,000,000 board feet each year. PennTAP provided a detailed technical and economic analysis of this usage. The lean consultant also worked with the CTC team to gather additional data including fuel consumption rates and jitney fleet costs, as well as diagramming flows of equipment and processes and cycle times. This was done to chart findings and develop various layout/design options to evaluate costs and benefits of product movement throughout the entire facility as part of CTC’s continuous improvement initiatives.