Ambition 2025: Centrica Business Solutions helps Altex Group cut energy costs

Altex Group is one of Mexico’s most important agro-industrial groups. Its product lines include packed and canned vegetables, frozen fruits, jams and citrus concentrates.

In 2018, the total energy consumption across Altex Group’s nine production sites surpassed 65,000 MWh. With energy prices rising by 70%, Altex Group was looking to make its operations more energy efficient, enabling it to remain competitive in the market. While it knew that its refrigeration equipment was the most energy-intensive component of its operations, it did not have the data required to make informed decisions towards reducing or reorganising its overall energy consumption.

Also, it was looking to improve its financial planning processes. Previously, energy forecasting was very roughly approximated – a lot of the time resources were spent manually capturing information on energy consumption and reconciling energy expenditure across different plants, cost centres, operations and products.

Centrica Business Solutions’ Panoramic Power wireless sensor technology* was deployed by S2G energy to address the challenges Altex Group was facing,

The sensors were used in each production facility to capture the energy consumption data of refrigeration equipment, air compressors, cooling towers, evaporators and other critical assets. Each of the six main plants has an average of 115 pieces of equipment being monitored. The sensors transmit the energy data in real-time to Centrica Business Solutions’ complementary energy management platform, PowerRadar™, which meets Altex Group’s need for real-time data visibility to support critical by-the-minute business decisions. This technology is helping the company cope with steep increases in energy charges across Mexico by enabling it to identify opportunities to reduce its overall energy consumption.

After reviewing its energy consumption data, it was identified that energy usage could be reduced if times were used to switch equipment off during non-operational hours. By installing timers, energy consumption during non-operational hours has reduced 4%. A further 12% reduction in energy consumption has also been achieved by analysing different sequencing of compressor operation to optimise their usage.

Financial planning has also improved. Because it is now based on robust data provided by PowerRadar™, the main variables that affect energy consumption have been identified and production planning is now tailored to take advantage of times when energy costs are lower. Energy costs per production line and per equipment are now readily determined and it is easier to schedule predictive maintenance for equipment. Daily, weekly and monthly reports providing valuable insights and firm energy strategies are also now in place.

“S2G Energy, harnessing Centrica Business Solutions’ technology, was the fastest one to deploy, with over 20 sensors installed and transmitting actionable data within a couple of hours. Another plus point is great platform usability, as well as dashboard customization which can be adapted to create a meaningful tool for each plant.” explains the Operations Director at Altex Group.

See how Centrica Business Solutions' Energy Insights technologies can support energy cost and carbon reduction in your business here.

* PANORAMIC POWER and PowerRadar are registered trademarks of Panoramic Power Ltd in the United Kingdom and United States of America.