Oerlikon is a leading global innovator in surface technology, polymer processing and additive manufacturing. Its solutions and comprehensive services, complemented by advanced materials, improve and optimize the performance, function, design and sustainability of customers' products and manufacturing processes in key industries.
The Balzers site develops and produces coating systems and thin-film coatings that significantly improve the performance and service life of precision components and tools for metal and plastics processing.
The increase in energy costs has also presented Oerlikon with a new challenge. In order to be able to take effective countermeasures, it is important to draw up a precise energy balance sheet. This is the only way to determine where and how much energy is being consumed. This transparency is essential in order to be able to take targeted measures to reduce consumption.
Another important factor for Oerlikon is the transparency of energy costs. The company wants to know how much energy is consumed in the various buildings and departments in order to distribute the costs accordingly. It makes sense to calculate the energy costs per cost center in order to enable accurate billing for accounting purposes.
Water consumption should not be ignored either. Precise monitoring and control of water consumption can also contribute to energy efficiency and reduce costs.
The aim was to draw up a precise energy balance sheet and create transparency in terms of energy costs. The data can now be used to determine where consumption can be reduced even further. In the long term, this will reduce costs and protect the environment.
UMG 96 devices had been in use at Oerlikon for several years. However, these universal measuring devices do not have a communication interface.
We left the original devices from 2004 in place. These had a pulse output, which we connected to new data concentrators from Janitza, the Pro Data II. This allows us to determine the energy consumption and output - kWh and kW. In addition, these Pro Data devices are also used to read the water consumption from the water meters.
In the meantime, 42 UMG 96-PA, 3 UMG 509-PRO and 24 UMG 103-CBM devices have been installed to determine the energy consumption per cost center. These universal measuring devices can be used to monitor and control energy consumption.
In addition, the GridVis® Expert software was introduced, which enables automated reporting. Monthly reports are generated by the software and hardware, enabling those responsible to analyze the consumption data and take appropriate measures to reduce energy consumption and save costs.
By using universal measuring devices and an automated reporting system, the GridVis® Expert, Oerlikon can accurately determine and immediately optimize energy consumption per cost center. This is an important step towards sustainability and environmental protection.
