MotorMaster+ Builds a Solid Foundation for Energy-Efficient Motor Systems at Kodak Plant
From the Spring 2007 issue of Energy Matters
Kodak's Rochester, New York, site is home to the company's headquarters as well as to a large manufacturing operation. (Courtesy of Kodak)
Staff in Kodak's chemical and imaging technologies plant in Rochester, New York, launched a Total Motor Program (TMP) in 1995 that has evolved into a very successful strategy for saving energy and money. The key is to use more energy-efficient motors.
At first, the program's focus was to consolidate the plant's inventory of motors and spare parts. Then, the TMP began focusing on ways to improve the energy efficiency of plant motors. Since between 40,000 and 50,000 motors are used in the plant's production processes at any given time, there is tremendous potential for savings.
Using the U.S. Department of Energy's Industrial Technologies Program MotorMaster+ software tool, plant engineers established a system for assessing motor efficiency and evaluating the energy savings potential of new motors. Since 2002, the plant has installed about 600 new NEMA Premium™ efficiency motors, saving 5.8 million kilowatt-hours and about $664,000 annually in energy and maintenance costs.
The Rochester location houses Kodak's corporate headquarters and its largest U.S. manufacturing facility, among other functions. Originally developed more than 100 years ago, the site covers eight square miles and contains 20 million square feet of building space. The Rochester plant has shared its motor efficiency program and experiences with at least one other plant, in Windsor, Colorado. Establishing a program like Kodak's TMP could help many facilities better manage their motor systems and identify opportunities for energy efficiency and cost savings.
MotorMaster+ contains a catalog of more than 20,000 AC motors and includes motor inventory management tools as well as methods for maintenance log tracking, efficiency analysis, savings evaluations, energy accounting, and environmental reporting. Plants can obtain MotorMaster+ free of charge either online or by calling the EERE Information Center (1-877-337-3463).
For more, see the complete Performance Spotlight and others on the ITP Web site. (PDF 370 KB). Download Adobe Reader.
Robert Steele, Kodak Motor Technologist (Courtesy of Kodak)
Partner Profile
Robert Steele is a motor technologist at Kodak with more than 30 years of experience in electronic and electromechanical maintenance. He has coordinated the Total Motor Program for the past five years at Kodak's Rochester plant. In this position, he uses DOE's MotorMaster+ software tool systematically to evaluate motor efficiency, and this helps to determine when to replace or repair existing process motors.
