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California Portland Cement Company:
Step 4 - Create Action Plan
California Portland Cement Company (CalPortland), a cement and concrete manufacturing company with production facilities located throughout the southwestern United States, has established itself as an industry leader by building on its commitment to manage energy strategically. CalPortland participates in the ENERGY STAR Cement Focus and was awarded Parnter of the Year in 2005, 2006 and 2007.
Industrial Partner Since 1996
Awards & Recognition
- Partner of the Year 2006,2005
- Sustained Excellence 2007
- Sustained Excellence 2008
Contact Information:
California Portland Cement Company
2025 E Financial Way
Glendora, CA 91741
818-852-6200
In Practice
4: Create Action Plan
4.1: Define Technical Steps and Targets
ENERGY STAR Focus Pays
When California Portland Cement Company (CalPortland) reorganized its energy team, they first looked to the ENERGY STAR Guidelines for Energy Management for an overall management framework. Next, they became active in the ENERGY STAR Cement Focus, and studied the ENERGY STAR Energy Savings Opportunities in Cement Manufacturing guide to determine technical measures they could take towards energy efficiency in their plants. Reviewing the energy guide in depth revealed many energy saving opportunities to CalPortland. Their energy managers then created a checklist for target initiatives such as: specific schedules of audits to be performed, creation of new specifications for equipment operation, and other plant energy-saving opportunities to evaluate. As a result of these efforts, CalPortland is now making substantial progress toward meeting specific energy objectives, such as decreasing their use energy use from compressed air and maximizing their process efficiency.
4.2: Determine Roles and Resources
Focusing on Process Pays
Many industrial manufacturers are hesitant look to the process of production for improvements in energy performance Many industrial manufacturers are hesitant to look to the process of production for improvements in energy performance. However, California Portland Cement Company (CalPortland) realized early on that they could only create a successful energy program with the involvement of their process engineers. So, CalPortland established a Process Energy Team along with their other plant teams, to address the main use of energy at their plants: the manufacturing process. Many organizations see process energy as an "untouchable" use of energy because plant managers are often wary of energy teams changing the production process.
CalPortland negated this fear and found a way to involve those who are the essential guardians of the company's profit: the production engineers. CalPortland also gave their vendors responsibility for their energy performance by securing agreements from them that they each must meet CalPortland's premium efficiency requirements for motors and other parts. The cumulative effect of California Portland's groundbreaking program was an energy savings of over 138 million Btu's in 2004 alone.
