BAGGIOVARA, (Modena, Italy) – On 24 February 2016 a Convention on “Energy Saving in Ceramics” was held in Baggiovara, near Modena (Italy). The event was organised by ACIMAC – the Association of Italian Manufacturers of Machinery and Equipment for Ceramics – together with Ceramic World Review, a magazine specialised in the field of ceramics. Professor Paolo Zannini of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, who introduced the day, wanted to emphasise the importance of accurate energy management, an extremely significant factor for the ceramics sector, which has always been highly energy conscious.

Various themes were covered during the convention, with particular attention paid to the use of cogeneration in the field of ceramics. Cefla, which has over thirty years of experience as a technological partner in the ceramics sector, was represented among the speakers by Stefano Cocchi, Sales Engineer of the Plant Solutions Business Unit. He spoke on the subject of the ongoing development of cogeneration systems in the ceramics industry.

The new regulations pertaining to the self-production of electricity were introduced during the first part of the presentation, with particular reference to the legally required levels of energy performance for tax relief purposes, both in existing systems and in newly created systems. Secondly, an important case study regarding the substitution of a cogeneration plant with a new turbine was presented. The data showed that, thanks to White Certificates (CAR) issued to new plants, the substitution of cogeneration plants has become potentially interesting for the ceramics sector. Furthermore, considering the potentially major maintenance costs of an existing turbine, the possibility of re-evaluating the correct size of the plant (implementation of the plant, in the case of greater or lesser production, when the establishment has lower energy requirements than it had in the past) and the increased intrinsic efficiency of new machinery, the economic benefits appear extremely interesting for this sector, even at industrial level. Reviews of this kind can also become an opportunity to carry out energy assessments of the procedures, also evaluating the possibility of integrating the different technologies available: one example could be the pairing of solutions with an internal combustion engine with thermal recovery from furnaces or with the installation of a new turbine.

It was, in fact, a day of extremely interesting detailed analyses, with experts and companies which play leading roles in the field illustrating the major themes and new developments in the sector, both from a technical-application point of view and illustrating solutions that could be potentially useful for the further improvement of energy management within Italian ceramics companies.

For more informations Download the Cefla’s presentation.

 The Kaleseramik Group has entrusted Cefla to upgrade the control and supervision system that oversees the entire cogeneration plant for the two factories in Cannakale and Kalebodur (which make up the Can manufacturing facility in Turkey) and to engineer the insertion of a new spray drier.

A big step forwards, then, for this partnership with Cefla and its Plant Solutions Business Unit, begun over 15 years ago with the installation of a cogeneration plant that has, in the words of Kaleseramik’s top management, “provided us with huge benefits in terms of energy cost and emissions reductions”.

The Kaleseramik cogeneration system is one of the most complex and sophisticated ever built in the ceramic industry. The project, entrusted to Cefla, will involve the design, development and construction of key mechanical components, instrumentation and heat recovery system components, plus the supply of automation and supervision control devices (software and hardware). 
Three Siemens gas turbines with a total output of 21 MW will power, via their exhausts, nine spray driers and provide electricity for the entire manufacturing complex. An optic fibre network will ensure high speed transfer of all unit control signals while the new software will monitor the entire system via a user-friendly user interface, with constant recording and reporting of data.

“This renewal of the partnership with the Kaleseramik Group, states Claudio Modelli, Cefla Export Manager, “is, for us, an important demonstration of their faith in our work. It offers greatly appreciated confirmation of the soundness of our ceramic industry solutions, especially in the energy efficiency and cogeneration field and, above all, when that trust is shown by a Group so attentive to energy efficiency and the environmental impact of ceramic manufacturing”.

We have obtained ISO50001 Energy Management certification! Cefla has obtained ISO50001 certification, the international standard that provides specifications for the creation and improvement over time of energy management systems and which aims at enabling the organisation to pursue ongoing improvement of its own energy efficiency. The project leader explained:

“Cefla has decided to commit itself to defining clear energy-efficient objectives, driven by a policy conceived to manage consumption in order to eliminate waste, reduce energy costs and above all lessen the environmental impact.”

While going through the process of obtaining certification, we started an internal communication project called “I Love Energy“ was launched. This entailed underlining the daily efforts each employee could make to effectively help save energy and improve the quality of the environment both inside and outside the company. This certification represents a major accomplishment for Cefla and reminds us of how great achievements are the sum of many small daily efforts.  

Cefla has once again achieved “rating 1” for Cribis D&B (CRIF Group), a rating banks use to indicate maximum reliability. Gianmaria Balducci, President of Cefla explains: “More than being influenced by our 421 M€ turnover in 2014 – albeit 19% greater than in 2013 – rating 1 comes from the fact that our net financial position has gone from a negative value of 4 M€ in 2013 to a positive value of 10 M€ in 2014.” As we now reach the end of 2015, the company will enjoy a positive closure to the year, both in economic terms as well as those regarding renewal, change and innovation.