Southern Tea

Tea Company Goes “Green”

The top three solutions proposed by the GaMEP in the IAC report were to:

    • Repair air links found in their compressed air system
    • Reduce the compressed air set point pressure
    • Install variable frequency drive (VFD) controllers on their vacuum pumps

These recommendations have the potential to bring the company halfway to its carbon reduction goal, while also saving them $30,000 per year.

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Creature Comforts

Craft Beer Company Brews Confidence and Cost Savings through Energy Assessment

By working with the GaMEP, Creature Comforts Brewing Co. has:

    • Projected a savings of $20,000 in electrical costs over a 12-month period
    • Become more efficient in pounds of carbon dioxide used per barrel of beer produced, decreasing from 19 pounds to 16 pounds.
    • Collaborated with the University Of Georgia College Of Engineering Capstone Senior Design Program to work with students on designing and implementing a CHP power system by April 2022, which has the potential to produce cost savings of up to $40,000 per year.
    • Improved overall employee confidence and knowledge in executing best practices and implementing technology to improve energy efficiency throughout their facility.
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Roger Wood Foods

IAC award ceremony

Georgia Tech’s Industrial Assessment Center Named Top in U.S. for 2024

The Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP) has performed thousands of assessments since its inception in the 1980s – usually at the rate of 15 to 20 per year – and typically identifies upwards of 10% in energy savings for clients.

The assessment team, overseen by IAC associate director Kelly Grissom, comprises faculty and student engineers from Georgia Tech and the Florida A&M University/Florida State University College of Engineering.

In addition, Georgia Tech leads the Southeastern IACs Center of Excellence, which partners the institution with fellow University System of Georgia (USG) entity Kennesaw State University, local HBCU Clark Atlanta University, and neighboring state capital HBCU Florida A&M University.

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Nutritional Resources

Weight Loss Product Manufacturer Gains a Healthier Approach to Problem Solving

Since conducting the energy assessment, Nutritional Resources has:

    • Added smart thermostats to their air conditioning units, saving $15,000 a year.
    • Installed room monitoring sensors to their lighting, saving an average of $20,000 a year
    • Implemented MDI with the GaMEP, which resulted in additional improvements including:
      • Improved communications, resulting in 100 percent of the operators on seven production lines on the same metrics and problem-solving methodologies
      • Decreased film loss from 10 percent to 2 percent
      • Improved production by 10 percent by implementing 6S into their workspace
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Lee Container

Container Company Cuts Costs through Process and Energy Improvements

Since beginning work with GaMEP, Lee Container has:

    • Invested over $16,000 in equipment upgrades, including conversion to LED lighting and improvements to HVAC systems
    • Lowered the company’s energy costs by over $27,000 per year, which has already paid back the initial investment
    • Used the data and information gathered to help them make decisions about future equipment expenditures, process improvement strategies, and energy management goals
    •  Implemented MDI with the GaMEP, which resulted in additional improvements including:
      • Improved communication, teamwork, and morale by implementing MDI
      • Reduced their changeover time by 38%, which will save the company approximately $68,000 per year
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Chicken of the Sea

A Company with a “Can” Do Attitude

Since beginning their work with the GaMEP, Chicken of the Sea has:

    • Projected approximately $600,000 per year in cost savings, due to greater efficiency in production
    • Planned to invest in energy efficiency improvements within the next year, which could save the company over $400,000 each year
    • Implemented Lean practices with the GaMEP, which resulted in additional improvements including:
      • Improved First Time Quality (FTQ) from 90.8% to 95%
      • Realized a 25% improvement in Operational Equipment Efficiency in the Label and Case department of the plant
      • Decreased changeover time by 55% in the Label and Case department, allowing them to process an additional 7,375 cases per month
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