C255
- Skellerup Industries Ltd, Christchurch - Canterbury region
Summary
The total savings resulting from cleaner production options
identified at the Skellerup Woolston plant to date are estimated
to be $337,000 per year, of which projects generating savings
of $297,000 per year at a cost of $22,500 have been implemented.
The payback for the majority of the projects implemented was
under 4 months. Savings were made in water and paper consumption
and through reduced disposal costs and improved product yield.
Business Profile
Skellerup Industries is a rubber manufacturing company that
was started in 1910 with the establishment of several Para
Rubber shops. A manufacturing plant was established at the
current Woolston site in Christchurch in 1935. At it’s peak
the Skellerup Group contained 27 companies manufacturing a
wide range of rubber products.
After a takeover by Brierley Investments in 1986 the various
companies were split up and sold. Further restructuring took
place in 1996 when Maine Investments purchased the group from
Brierley Investments. In July 1998 financial difficulties
forced the sale of Skellerup Industries to Viking Pacific,
a new company owned primarily by Goldman Sachs investment
bank. The Woolston manufacturing site currently employs 300
people.
Type of Projects
Water, energy and solid waste reduction.
Reasons for Projects
The Skellerup management team saw the cleaner production
approach introduced by the Target Zero programme as a way
of achieving more efficiencies at Skellerup in every aspect
of the business, from the efficiency of the staff right down
to production, making sure that waste is minimised.
Target Zero
Skellerup Industries Ltd has been a participant in
Target Zero, a two-year sponsored cleaner production programme
involving 12 companies in Christchurch and 10 in Hawkes Bay
during the period 1997-1999. The programme was sponsored by
the Sustainable Management Fund of the Ministry for the Environment,
Meridian Energy Ltd (formerly ECNZ), and the local authority
and electricity company in each area.
The Projects
Rotocure Calender Machine Upgrade
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Description
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The calender machine historically had an unacceptable
product yield on certain products
By fitting a special attachment to the machine the
requirement for manual handling and edging misalignment
has been reduced. Waste reductions have been achieved
by reducing the amount of sheeting edge off-cuts, and
rejects have been reduced. In other words, product yield
has been increased.
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Environmental Benefit
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Reduced waste rubber, reduced usage of raw materials
and fuel.
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Other benefits
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Increased production yield.
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Economic Benefit
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Capital cost $20,000
Savings $269,480/annum
Payback < 1 month
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Recycle Plastic Sheeting
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Description
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Plastic sheeting is used to wrap belting and sheeting
products during production. Historically the plastic
sheets were used once and then disposed of to the landfill.
The waste assessment found that a large proportion of
the plastic is suitable for reuse that has now resulted
in 50% being reused before disposal.
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Environmental Benefit
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Reduced plastic waste to landfill, reduced raw material
consumption.
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Economic Benefit
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Capital cost None
Savings $18,000/annum
Payback Immediate
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Water Reduction
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Description
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A number of dripping taps and continuously running
drinking fountains were identified that wasted 11 million
litres of water per year. By implementing a regular
maintenance programme Skellerup was able to minimise
the unnecessary consumption of water.
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Environmental Benefit
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Reduced demand on the aquifer in a salt water intrusion
zone. This will help to reduce chloride contamination
of Christchurch water supply.
The trade waste volume has also been reduced.
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Economic Benefit
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Maintenance cost $1,000
Savings $5,025/annum
Payback 4 months
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Re-injection of Extruder Mill Cooling Water
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Description
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Cooling water on a rubber extruder mill has historically
been used on a once-through basis and then disposed
of into the trade waste system. The water is drawn from
an aquifer that is susceptible to salt-water intrusion
and Skellerup decided to recover the extruder mill cooling
water and return it to the groundwater to reduce the
net draw-off from the aquifer.
Although there is a small saving in trade waste costs,
Skellerup implemented this project from an environmental
perspective to reduce the draw down of the aquifer.
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Environmental Benefit
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Reduced discharge to trade waste system and reduced
demand on the aquifer load aquifer in a salt water intrusion
zone.
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Economic Benefit
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Capital cost $1,500
Savings $780
Payback 2 years
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Eliminate Blank Route Cards
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Description
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Route cards are used to track the production of rubber
parts around the factory. A blank route card routinely
attached at the back of each works order was eliminated
to reduce the total cardboard usage.
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Environmental Benefit
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Reduced cardboard disposal to landfill and reduced
resource use.
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Economic Benefit
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Capital cost None
Savings $1,700/annum
Payback Immediate
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Rationalise Report Print Format
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Description
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Large quantities of paper are routinely used to print
line flow reports at the site. A survey is underway
to determine which reports are necessary and which others
may be redundant.
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Environmental Benefit
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Reduced paper usage and reduced paper disposal to landfill.
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Economic Benefit
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Capital cost None
Savings $75/annum
Payback Immediate
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Cardboard Recycling
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Description
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Cardboard packaging is separated from the solid waste
stream and returned to a cardboard recycling company
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Environmental Benefit
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Reduced solid waste to landfill, reduced raw material
usage
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Economic Benefit
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Capital cost None
Saving $1,500/annum
Payback Immediate
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Triphosphor Lighting Replacement
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Description
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Triphosphor lamps emit 30% more light than standard
halophosphors, and maintain light levels for 14,000
hrs, 40% longer than standard. The progressive replacement
of monophosphor lamps with more efficient triphosphors
will take about 1.5 years.
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Environmental Benefit
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The environmental benefits of triphosphor lamps include
reduced lamp replacements, resulting in less mercury
disposed, and significant energy savings.
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Economic Benefit
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Capital None
Savings $400/annum
Payback 1.5 years/light
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Recycle Steel Strapping
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Description
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Steel strapping is imported onto the site as a component
of the packaging on palletised raw materials. About
90 kg of steel strapping is presently dumped to landfill
per month.
A local metal recycling company, using a bin already
installed at the site, can recycle the strapping material.
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Environmental Benefit
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Reduced landfill disposal. Recycled steel can be used
again, reducing requirement for new steel.
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Economic Benefit
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Capital cost None
Savings $50/annum
Payback Immediate
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Additional projects investigated but not yet implemented
include:
Compressed Air Maintenance Programme
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Description
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Two air compressors that supply the injection-moulding
department both operate at full load even when the machines
are not operating. By repairing leaks in the compressed
air lines, and by maintaining the air rams in the injection-moulding
department, the potential to make significant energy
savings have been identified.
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Environmental Benefit
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Reduced energy usage by 70%. Extend equipment lifetime
and reduce oil consumption.
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Economic Benefit
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Maintenance cost $10,000
Savings $39,780/annum
Payback 3 months.
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For additional information contact:
Paul Vane
Skellerup Industries Ltd
Private Bag 4736
Christchurch
Ph (03) 389 9189
Fax (03) 381 0504
Email: VaneP@Skellerup.co.nz
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For further information about the Target Zero programme
see following publication:
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You too can profit from cleaner production and
waste minimisation
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Coordinating cleaner production programmes. Lessons
from Target Zero
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