Equality

When the IAC started back in the 80's, it was focused solely on improving energy efficiency. Since then, it has expanded its scope to include productivity recommendations. Before it only recommended things like, "Reduce discharge pressure for refrigeration system", but now it could be "Reduce downtime in sorter."

When we go out to a company, we come back with ideas and data to support them. If a particular idea seems to pencil out--meaning it will save some money and doesn't cost too much to implement--it becomes an "AR" or recommendation.

The thing about productivity ARs is that they have the potential to save a whole lot more money or add a lot more profits than energy ARs. Think about it, a company might have $20 million in annual sales. But they might only spend $200,000 on energy. If you can increase production by 1% vs. saving 1% of energy costs. Which is greater? Do the math.

But productivity ARs get smiled at sometime because most of the information that supports them is through estimates by people who are familiar with the process. In other words, there's often no "hard" data, just reliance on educated guesses by personnel at the plant. So when someone comes up with a recommendation that is supposed to save hundreds of thousands of dollars, energy people can react in a leery manner.

But here's the thing. Energy ARs have the advantage, many times, of "data loggers" that track important parameters of the system of interest day and night for multiple days. The analyst can then get to what is actually and truly happening in the system, without having to rely solely on educated guesses (though some of that is alway involved). Without that capability, they would be reduced to asking for estimates, just like productivity people!

So, the analytical tools for energy areas (like boilers, motors, and air compressor systems) are much more advanced than those for productivity. Thus, the results are likely more precise. But what if productivity had the same level of sophistication in data collecting techniques?

Give productivity equal rights! I demand equality! All we ask for is a level playing field.

Smile.