Helping Kellogg’s Meet Vital Demand in Toughest of Times
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Helping Kellogg’s Meet Vital Demand in Toughest of Times

Photo by:   Sten Ritterfeld on Unsplash
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Cas Biekmann By Cas Biekmann | Journalist and Industry Analyst - Mon, 07/19/2021 - 11:57

Over a year ago, Mexico found itself amid a global pandemic, the likes of which had never been seen before. Many activities were halted but some were so essential that stopping them would represent major setbacks to everyday life. To ensure continuity of these crucial operations, energy supply and quantity were paramount to avoid any major hiccups.

As the stability and reliability of the grid became the center of discussion, energy-efficiency technology company Circutor was among those adding value and solving problems.

Clear examples of essential businesses were those in the food and beverages sector. “The country’s entire industry was halted, but people still needed to eat and drink,” Rafael Valdez, Commercial Director Mexico at Circutor, told MBN. To ramp up production of these daily necessities, a high-quality supply of energy was required.

US-based Kellogg’s, a well-known giant with a significant global position in the food and beverages industry, looked to Circutor for help to meet the growing demand. Kellogg’s has four plants in Mexico and its Queretaro facility is one of the largest in the world. “Our business model functions through commercial and technical allies because they add value to our product in the overall process, but Kellogg’s approached us directly with their needs,” said Valdez.

To help improve the Kellogg’s’ energy quality, Circutor measured energy use and its quality at the company’s production facilities, aiming to correct the power factor. Valdez highlights why this is such a crucial step: “Not having the right power factor not only makes the entire grid more inefficient, it has direct economic consequences for the energy supplier, in this case CFE,” he said. “The fines for not reaching the minimum power factor are very high.”  

Circutor took on the challenge for Kellogg’s, working at the highest efficiency. “We not only added value with the solution itself, but also in how quickly we were able to implement it,” Valdez said.

Unlike other manufacturers, Circutor ramped up its manufacturing speed and product stock to attend the market during Mexico’s first pandemic lockdown. “We decided to manufacture our equipment before demand reached us, and to supply it immediately so that these industries could continue working.” Normally, companies wait 12 to 14 weeks to get their equipment manufactured and once it arrives, it takes two weeks for a proper installation. Through Circutor’s swift approach, its clients gained four weeks in time. This means they obtained a faster ROI and four weeks less of penalization for not complying with the grid code. Whether clients asked for harmonic frequency filters or capacitor banks, all of them were available to meet the demand.

What can Circutor offer that its competition cannot? “We have a large family of products in our portfolio aimed at energy efficiency,” said Valdez. Using the company’s equipment, Circutor arranges measurements, monitoring and solutions to improve every production line. “As a result, operators know exactly how much KWh every production line consumes, as well as offering a complete picture of operating costs. This provides a great deal of value to Mexico’s energy-intensive industry.”

Energy efficiency fits perfectly with Circutor’s wider philosophy, says Mónica Samudio, Country Managing Director Mexico at Circutor. “We always work hand in hand with sustainable development,” she said. Sustainability does not only refer to the environment, however. By managing energy correctly, companies reduce the risk of an employee suffering an electric shock. “This saves lives,” stresses Samudio. Furthermore, incorrectly addressing electrical currents within a facility has serious ramifications, such as generating noise and electrical pollution for its neighbors. “Becoming truly sustainable means companies need to mind their direct environment in any possible way,” Samudio said.

Samudio adds that there are two factors in unlocking a new path to sustainability. “Energy awareness and rational use of energy are what defines Circutor. Sustainability goes beyond political will; it is an act of imagining that humanity will thrive in the future. We like to think along these same lines and find our purpose within it.”

Circutor was founded in Spain and operates in over 100 countries. The company’s solutions portfolio aims to boost the efficient use of energy. It offers over 3,000 products and has a strong focus on R&D.

Photo by:   Sten Ritterfeld on Unsplash

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