At the Yokohama Rubber factory in Japan, an audit of their energy and water management revealed a huge potential for realising energy savings by instituting simple measures. By replacing 30-year-old pumps in the cooling system for the production process, the rubber factory has reduced their energy consumption by more than 50 per cent. This amount of energy saved also resulted in cost savings of more than JPY 4 million (around EUR 40,000) in the first year. The successful result of the project enabled further investments in Grundfos pumps in Yokohama’s other factories in Japan. The initial installation of Grundfos pumps and their control systems paid for itself within 18 months through reduced energy costs. Payback time at the other plants showed payback time of one year at Hiratsuka, and the second Shinshiro installation was paid back within 15 months. The first step of the Yokohama efficiency project was the conduction of a pump audit showing the potential to save energy and costs in the production, which was the necessary business case to invest in the energy efficient equipment.
