THE OVERVIEW
Conbraco Industries, Inc. has four facilities - a brass foundry/machining facility in Pageland, SC; an assembly/distribution facility in Pageland, SC; a steel foundry/machining plant in Conway, SC; and corporate headquarters and a plumbing/heating line of products in Matthews, NC. The company manufactures, finishes and assembles brass and steel ball valves. Conbraco has been in business since 1928, serving all industries with a primary focus on the petroleum and pulp and paper industries. The company has a total of 1,400 employees at all locations.

THE CHALLENGE
Carroll Jenkins, Conbraco's facilities manager, began looking at energy costs in an effort to be more competitive. At the same time, he was introduced to SCMEP by Cheri McCoy, Chesterfield County economic development director.

SCMEP had just announced the availability of a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (USDOE) for metal casting manufacturers. The $178,400 grant was awarded to SCMEP to assist the state's metal casting manufacturers with plant productivity improvements, profitability enhancement, and decreased energy consumption and waste.

THE SOLUTION
Conbraco qualified for participation in the USDOE grant program. Charles Rampey, manufacturing consultant for SCMEP, conducted an energy assessment, walk-through audit, and compressed air leak survey in all South Carolina facilities. Rampey questioned billing methods on electrical bills and located numerous air leaks, many of which were in the brass foundry.

SCMEP next assisted Conbraco in correcting billing errors, installing capacitors to improve power factor, and repairing the compressed air leaks.

THE IMPACT
The immediate results of billing corrections and capacitor installations was $110,000 annually toward Conbraco's bottom line.  The total impact of all work to-date is approximately $860,000. Future projects include a sales tax review and a competitiveness review, SCMEP's nationally recognized assessment tool used to analyze a facility and determine its limiting factors.

"I couldn't be happier with the results SCMEP has achieved by partnering with our company," said Jenkins. "We plan to continue working with SCMEP's manufacturing specialists to reduce energy costs, reduce waste, and increase Conbraco's bottom line."