Q: What impact can an industrial heating process have on Mexico’s energy transition?

MK: Although the focus of the Energy Reform tends to lean toward the generation of electricity, we must remember that, depending on the industry, up to 80 percent of the energy consumed in the industrial sector is thermal. Taking advantage of this great opportunity, CITRUS offers its clients industrial thermal solutions that will increase their competitiveness by reducing operational costs and improving production. With our solutions, we expect Mexico’s industrial sector to become stronger and more competitive, which will benefit the country not only due to lower prices of products but also because of the inherent economic growth.

Q: What advantages do your industrial clients receive when implementing thermal process solutions?

KB: Our customers can be divided into two segments: big companies and SMEs. We can usually communicate better with the big companies because, although they might have teams dedicated to efficiency and sustainability and have a deep knowledge of their processes, they cannot know everything. This means our expertise in energy efficiency and thermal heating for industrial processes is the missing link in their efforts to achieve their goals for reducing energy consumption. We are not teaching them anything completely new, instead we are using our expertise and holistic vision for the sake of improving their processes.

With SMEs, the approach is different because they do not have sustainability departments and usually live on a day-today basis, meaning they cannot make long-term investments. But SMEs suffer the highest energy losses, which means they also have the greatest potential for energy savings.

EB: At CITRUS, we accompany the client through the full implementation of the project, from the starting analysis that includes the company’s future needs to the follow-up after the installation. We are so committed to this philosophy that we have reached points during the analysis phase when we have found that our solution is not the best option for the client. When this happens, we provide the pertinent information and allow them to make an informed decision. Often, this leads to a project being declined, but this approach has helped us garner the respect of the industry, so much so that now almost 90 percent of our clients are through recommendations.

KB: We offer a deep and holistic understanding of the needs of our clients. CITRUS started as a spin-off of INTERTECNICA, which has been producing heating process equipment for over three generations. With the over 50 years of experience of our parent company, we are able to understand perfectly how to make heating process equipment more efficient through sustainable solutions. This relationship makes us one of the few companies in the world able to offer a holistic vision of the sustainable processes of our clients.

Q: What project best highlights the benefits CITRUS can bring to the Mexican industry?

MK: During one agribusiness project, our solar thermal solution boosted the heating process of 9,000 liters of water per day from 25°C to 118°C. Previously, the heating process was done using natural gas, but it is estimated that, with our technology, the project will generate MX$14 million in savings over the next 15 years, which results in an ROI time of 2.9 years. Now, the company only uses natural gas when environmental conditions do not allow the sun to heat the water. The company has also drastically reduced its CO2 emissions. Because the boiler is no longer inside the facilities, the company now has a cleaner product that can be exported to the US and a safer working environment for its employees. Although these factors cannot be quantified under an ROI scheme, they are important and are helping the company to grow.