Solo Cup Company
At a Glance
Industry
Industrial Goods and Manufacturing
Project Type
Industrial Energy Efficiency
Year
2012
Location
Lake Forest, IL
Summary
Imran Mehdi uncovered numerous possible avenues for savings in Solo Cup's largest manufacturing facility, including HVAC changes and boiler upgrades.
Goals
Solo Cup hired Imran Mehdi to identify, quantify and recommend projects for reducing energy use and carbon dioxide emissions.
Solutions
To satisfy these requirements, he analyzed historical energy data and performed an external energy audit on Solo’s largest manufacturing facility. He also searched for new ways to save energy. Working closely with the facilities staff, Mehdi identified the largest opportunities in HVAC and scrap collection. In addition to a restructuring of the layout of air-conditioned office spaces, he suggested a vacuum line consolidation in the scrap collection system and the installation of a control system that would stage vacuum pumps by demand. He also recommended upgrades to the production system, boiler system and other vacuum systems.
Potential Impact
If implemented, these projects could capture savings of $2 million, 800 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions and 4.9 million kilowatt hours of electricity over a period of 10 years.