FCA Windsor Assembly Plant Receives Energy Conservation Leadership Award

WINDSOR, Ontario, June 20, 2018 /3BL Media/ - FCA’s Windsor Assembly Plant (WAP) has won a Canadian Industry Partnership for Energy Conservation (CIPEC) Leadership Award. The recognition comes for key Process and Technology Improvements from a plant initiative that resulted in an approximate 30 per cent annual energy savings of existing chilled water system and reduced Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions equivalent to almost 21 homes’ energy use per annum.

At the plant, which builds Chrysler Pacifica, Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid and Dodge Grand Caravan minivans, a new vehicle rolls off the line every 48 seconds. It takes approximately 27 hours to complete a vehicle and 8-10 of those hours are spent in the paint shop.

A recent onsite study conducted by the Energy Management Team at WAP identified opportunities to reduce energy consumption in the paint shop.

Throughout the plant, large compressors of chilled water are used to cool the air, as well as the equipment, during different processes. In the paint shop particularly, what is called the chiller system is crucial to maintain a set temperature and humidity level at all times for optimal and consistent paint application, as well as sustaining a cool temperature for the equipment.

The study outlined a multi-faceted chiller initiative as it pertained to the paint shop, which included energy saving improvements such as resetting the supply temperature set point, retrofitting additional pumps with VFD (Variable Frequency Drive), removing mechanical flow controls and adding PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) logic control to operate the system. The project was executed over a two-week period last summer. 

“I’m very proud of the Energy Management Team and their initiatives at Windsor Assembly Plant,” shared Michael Brieda, Plant Manager. “The team succeeded in implementing this new strategy effectively, and, in the first quarter alone, we’ve achieved 113 per cent of the anticipated savings, which is an incredible success! I’m proud to say that we not only build environmentally friendly vehicles, but we strive to do so in an environmentally sustainable facility.”

FCA and the team from WAP were honoured at an awards ceremony that was part of Natural Resources Canada’s Energy Summit 2018 in Toronto.
 
About CIPEC
The Canadian Industry Program for Energy Conservation (CIPEC):

• is a partnership between private industry and the federal Government
• aims to promote and improve Canada's industrial energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from energy use in the industrial sector
• includes close to 2400 companies and trade associations
• encourages energy management best practices through dialogue and collaboration via an Executive Board, Task Force Council and sector task forces
• recognizes and rewards those who lead the way

About FCA Canada
Founded as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925, FCA Canada Inc. is based in Windsor, Ontario, and celebrates its 93rd anniversary in 2018. FCA Canada is a wholly owned subsidiary of FCA US LLC, a North American automaker based in Auburn Hills, Michigan and member of the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCA) family of companies.  FCA Canada has approximately 440 dealers and sells Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep®, Ram, FIAT and Alfa Romeo brands, as well as the SRT performance designation. The company also distributes Mopar and Alfa Romeo parts and accessories. In addition to its assembly facilities, which produce the Chrysler Pacifica, Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid and Dodge Grand Caravan (Windsor), Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger and Dodge Challenger (Brampton), FCA Canada operates an aluminum casting plant in Etobicoke, a research and development centre in Windsor, and has sales offices and parts distribution centers throughout the country.  

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