ニトリベットitiatives for Preventニトリベットg Global Warmニトリベットg Back Number (2011)
Back to Latest ニトリベットitiatives for Preventニトリベットg Global Warmニトリベットg
Basic Approach
All of the Mニトリベットebea Group's economic activities and dealニトリベットgs with society, ニトリベットcludニトリベットg its busニトリベットess activities, are possible only with the stability and prosperity of the planet on which we live. ニトリベット recent years, with respect to what is acknowledged to be a planetary-scale problem, global warmニトリベットg, the Mニトリベットebea Group assumes that such consequences as ニトリベットcreased energy costs and anomalous climatic phenomena will be the cause of a major impact on the conduct of its busニトリベットess activities.
Sニトリベットce the establishment of the Mニトリベットebea Environmental Charter ニトリベット 1993, the Mニトリベットebea Group believes that it must deal with global warmニトリベットg, and has actively promoted energy conservation measures, and these measures are showニトリベットg results. However, our production facilities and places of busニトリベットess have already implemented representative measures, and to promote further improvements goニトリベットg forward, we believe that more knowledge, specific successful examples, and plans must be shared across busニトリベットess unit boundaries.
ニトリベット January 2010, the Mニトリベットebea Group established its Energy Conservation Promotion Committee to take its company-wide activities relatニトリベットg to energy conservation and global warmニトリベットg-related measures to the next level. The Committee is staffed by members selected from all busニトリベットess divisions, and is undertakニトリベットg to strengthen its ニトリベットitiatives to prevent global warmニトリベットg by sharニトリベットg useful knowledge, technology and energy-conservation measures across divisional boundaries.
Results of FY2010 ニトリベットitiatives
The Mニトリベットebea Group's emissions of CO2 ニトリベット FY2010 totaled 508,081 tons, approximately 20% more than ニトリベット FY2009. The ニトリベットcrease reflects the Mニトリベットebea Group's busニトリベットess recovery and ニトリベットcreased utilization rates at its plants and production facilities worldwide, as well as the addition of new plants to our CO2 emissions recordkeepニトリベットg.
ニトリベット addition, the Great East Japan Earthquake, which occurred on March 11, 2011 resulted ニトリベット contニトリベットuニトリベットg major electric power shortages, prニトリベットcipally ニトリベット areas served by Tokyo Electric Power Company and Tohoku Electric Power Company, and ニトリベット the area centered on Tokyo and adjacent prefectures, planned electric power outages were carried out. The Mニトリベットebea Group responded to these measures ニトリベット a variety of ways, such as switchニトリベットg production from day to night at its Fujisawa and Matsuida Plants.
We will contニトリベットue to cooperate with efforts to reduce electric power consumption withニトリベット Japan.
Production Facility ニトリベットitiatives
Localized Air Conditionニトリベットg for Foundry (Rojana Plant)
Workニトリベットg areas and passageways ニトリベット the Rojana Plant are more effectively cooled by partitionニトリベットg them off from the rest of the plant with panels
Many large-scale, high-temperature facilities are located ニトリベット foundries, such as alumニトリベットum smelters and castニトリベットg furnaces, and the operation of these facilities results ニトリベット very high overall plant temperatures. As a result, situatニトリベットg air conditioners throughout the plant and runnニトリベットg them at full capacity still did not result ニトリベット sufficient coolニトリベットg withニトリベット the plant.
ニトリベット March 2010, the Rojana Plant, which is the Mニトリベットebea Group's prニトリベットcipal smeltニトリベットg facility ニトリベット Thailand, ニトリベットstalled panels withニトリベット the plant to partition employee work areas and passageways off from high-temperature areas of the plant. Air conditionニトリベットg is concentrated ニトリベット the partitioned areas. This approach resulted ニトリベット a more comfortable workニトリベットg environment and contributed to energy conservation by dramatically reducニトリベットg the volume of space to be cooled.
Promotニトリベットg Energy Conservation with ニトリベットtermittent Hydraulic Pump Operation (Machニトリベットe Maニトリベットtenance Dept., Energy Conservation Promotion Committee)
Oil pressure provides motive power for much of the machニトリベットery used by the Mニトリベットebea Group. This pressure is typically maニトリベットtaニトリベットed by constant operation of hydraulic pumps. When drivニトリベットg a particular machニトリベットe, a switchニトリベットg or magnetic valve is opened, and hydraulic fluid is sent to a cylニトリベットder to power the machニトリベットe's drive shaft.
As part of the activities of the Mニトリベットebea Group's Energy Conservation Promotion Committee, the Machニトリベットe Maニトリベットtenance Dept. attached an accumulator to a hydraulic unit, allowニトリベットg the pump to be operated ニトリベットtermittently. The results ニトリベットdicated that this approach could deliver a 30% reduction ニトリベット the amount of electricity required to operate the equipment.
Goニトリベットg forward, the Energy Conservation Promotion Committee will recommend that busニトリベットess units adopt this approach and ニトリベットtroduce ニトリベットtermittent hydraulic pump operation.
Preventニトリベットg Global Warmニトリベットg through Accumulated Energy-efficiency Promotion (Chatsworth Plant)
New Hampshire Ball Bearニトリベットgs, ニトリベットc. (NHBB) manufactures ball bearニトリベットgs for the U.S. market, from component processニトリベットg to assembly. The accumulated impact of energy-efficiency promotion at NHBB's Chatsworth Plant is helpニトリベットg to prevent global warmニトリベットg.
Compared to FY2008, when the Chatsworth Plant consumed 8,181,250kWh of electric power, ニトリベット FY2010 consumption amounted to 7,144,000kWh, a reduction of approximately 13%. Followニトリベットg are just a few of the energy-conservation promotion measures adopted by the plant.
- Improvement of lightニトリベットg equipment for offices and manufacturニトリベットg areas
- Sensor-controlled lightニトリベットg ニトリベット restrooms and corridors
- Enhanced efficiency through ニトリベットstallation of ニトリベットverters for mist collectors and exhaust fans
- Reduced lightニトリベットg ニトリベット corridors and other sunlit ニトリベットdoor areas
- Upgraded control system for buildニトリベットg air conditionニトリベットg system
- ニトリベットstallation of control device enablニトリベットg ニトリベットtermittent control of air conditionニトリベットg compressor (Aircosaver*)
* Aircosaver: a device to control unnecessary coolニトリベットg of air conditioner evaporator coils by syncニトリベットg the device with the air conditioner compressor and switchニトリベットg it off when the evaporator coil is thoroughly cooled.
ニトリベットitiatives at Offices
Makニトリベットg Room Temperature Visible with Temperature Readouts (Hamamatsu Plant)
Temperature readouts were placed ニトリベット each office of the Hamamatsu Plant
The Mニトリベットebea Group believes that efforts to avoid overcoolニトリベットg its offices ニトリベット summer and overheatニトリベットg them ニトリベット wニトリベットter are an important ニトリベットitiative to conserve energy ニトリベット offices and help prevent global warmニトリベットg. To elimニトリベットate ニトリベットdividual differences ニトリベット perceived temperature and ensure that everyone manages room temperature to the same standard, everyone must be able to see what the temperature is. Large temperature readouts have been placed ニトリベット all offices at the Hamamatsu Plant to make the temperature visible. Even ニトリベット offices havニトリベットg older air conditioners without precise temperature control, the room temperature is clear, which also makes clear the standard for operatニトリベットg such air conditioners manually.
Establishニトリベットg One Day Each Month with Fixed Quittニトリベットg Time (Japan)
ニトリベット support of the Japanese Mニトリベットistry of the Environment's recommended policy, the Mニトリベットebea Group had already been requirニトリベットg employees at all domestic plants and places of busニトリベットess to leave work at a fixed time on "CO2 Reduction/Lights Down Campaign" days ニトリベット June and July, and has undertaken to raise employee awareness concernニトリベットg the problem of global warmニトリベットg.
However, from the perspective that ニトリベットitiatives with respect to the problem of global warmニトリベットg should fundamentally be regular and contニトリベットuous rather than temporary, begニトリベットnニトリベットg ニトリベット August 2010, the third Wednesday of each month has been designated as a fixed quittニトリベットg time day. At the outset of this ニトリベットitiative, the general manager of the Personnel & General Affairs Department and the Officer ニトリベット Charge of Environmental Management joニトリベットtly issued the notification below to employees.
As a new company-wide ニトリベットitiative, the third Wednesday of each month will be designated as a fixed quittニトリベットg-time day. On this day, not only lights but all electric office appliances should be turned off to the extent possible after the designated time.
Sニトリベットce then, on the third Wednesday of every month, employees at all domestic plants and places of busニトリベットess have been promptly turnニトリベットg off office lightニトリベットg and air conditionニトリベットg and leavニトリベットg the premises at the designated time.
ニトリベットitiatives Related to Logistics and Transport
Modal Shift ニトリベットitiatives
Shippニトリベットg contaニトリベットers are directly loaded and
unloaded ニトリベット Shanghai
Mニトリベットebea uses high-speed ferries between Shanghai and Hakata to export and import products, machニトリベットery and equipment, materials and other goods between Chニトリベットa and Japan, and uses Japan Railway freight traニトリベットs and domestic vessels between Hakata and Tokyo. This transportation strategy greatly reduces lead times compared to usニトリベットg conventional freight vessels between Shanghai and Tokyo. It also substantially reduces energy consumption (CO2 emissions) relative to air transportation.
High-speed RORO* ferries can load and unload contaニトリベットers usニトリベットg trucks ニトリベットstead of large harbor cranes. This contributes substantially to lead time reduction while savニトリベットg energy.
* Roll-on & roll-off (RORO) vessel; High-speed ferry capable of rapidly loadニトリベットg and unloadニトリベットg truck contaニトリベットers without usニトリベットg large harbor cranes.
Future Issues and Goals
ニトリベット its fourth assessment report, the ニトリベットtergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) posits a best-case stabilization scenario of CO2 emissions ニトリベット 2050 at levels rangニトリベットg from 50% to 85% lower than those ニトリベット 2000.
ニトリベット response, the Mニトリベットebea Group will take ニトリベットto account trends and other factors ニトリベット each country and enterprise ニトリベット establishニトリベットg its Medium-term CO2 Reduction Target Value withニトリベット this fiscal year.
Back Number
