Sustaining Sustainability at VVF
Company Profile
VVF was founded in Mumbai India in 1939 and acquired their first US facility in Kansas City, Kansas in 2007. VVF has enjoyed a solid reputation of formulating and manufacturing soap products. VVF continues to build on its proud history of integrity and customer satisfaction.
Situation
In late 2012, Kansas Manufacturing Solutions(KMS), formerly MAMTC, formed a partnership with Wyandotte County Economic Development (WyCO EDC) and the local utility, Kansas City Board of Public Utilities (BPU). The partnership resulted in an energy efficiency rebate program that encouraged manufacturing facilities to identify and implement energy savings measures.
The Energy Efficiency Rebate Program was timely for VVF because they had started to think about implementing energy saving improvements in the facility. Creating a sustainability plan and implementing energy efficiency measures as part of the plan would open up new opportunities with clients that had certain sustainability metrics as part of their supply chain criteria.
In 2015, VVF hired KMS to help them create a sustainability strategy and identify and implement energy savings opportunities. Throughout 2015 and into 2016, they began implementing their first energy savings projects.
Solution
VVF engaged with KMS in early 2015 to help them participate in the BPU/WyCo EDC/MAMTC Energy Rebate Program. Over the course of about 18 months, KMS helped them identify, prioritize, quantify and implement several opportunities in the facility where they could receive significant energy savings.
Results
- Lighting and Controls. Many of the lights in one production area were older metal halide units. These were replaced with new high efficiency LED fixtures. In Phase II, old T12 fixtures in another production area were also updated to make use of LED sources.
- Process Chiller. The bar soap line requires a steady stream of chilled water to cool the soap in the molds. One of these was very old and inefficient. This old unit was replaced with a new, much higher efficiency unit.
KMS routinely collects economic impact numbers approximately 6 months after the completion of any project, the energy and sustainability projects included. VVF has reported initial cost reductions of $10,000, and cost avoidance savings of $15,000. These aren’t one-time savings; they’re bottom line cost reductions that can be counted on year after year after year.
Testimonial
“VVF continually works to update and upgrade our processes and facilities, and the KMS energy program helps us to make those needed improvements. VVF looks forward to realizing bottom line savings on an ongoing, annual basis as a result of these projects.” - Phil Ismael, Controller