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Measures Against Global Warming
As part of our commitment to tackling global warming, we are focusing on R&D and reducing energy consumption by saving energy in every aspect of the Kobe Steel Group's business activities. We're also constantly working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Energy Conservation in Production Processes
In fiscal 2011, the Kobe Steel Group consumed 215 PJ (petajoules) of energy. Our Iron & Steel Business accounted for approximately 95% of this total, with our Aluminum & Copper Business accounting for a further 4%.
We continue to implement energy saving measures, including the installation of high-efficiency equipment and recovering exhaust heat. We are also taking steps to improve operational processes, in areas such as combustion management and production efficiency.
Energy Use by Segment
Iron & Steel Business
generation equipment
(Kakogawa Works)
In fiscal 2011, energy consumption and CO2 emissions in the Iron & Steel Business fell by 3.4% compared to the previous year, due in part to reduced production. We managed to improve specific energy consumption per metric ton of crude steel by 14.3% compared to fiscal 1990, and specific CO2 emissions by 15.4%. Total CO2 emissions for fiscal 2011 were down 7.7% compared to fiscal 1990.
In addition to getting high efficiency gas turbine generation facilities up and running at our Kakogawa Works, we are implementing detailed measures at all of our other facilities, too. We are increasing the efficiency of motors powering equipment such as pumps and fans, as well as making operational improvements to reheating furnaces and other heating equipment and reducing loss.
We will continue to implement energy saving measures in the future, so that we can achieve our voluntary action plan targets.
- Trends in Energy Consumption and Specific Energy Consumption (approximate figures)
- Trends in CO2 Emissions and Specific CO2 Emissions Index (approximate figures)
* Estimated figures for the Iron & Steel Business, including coke production Fiscal 2010 emission coefficient used for fiscal 2011 due to nondisclosure of fiscal 2011 coefficient for purchased electricity
Welding Business
We are continuing to reduce CO2 emissions in our Welding Business, thanks to measures such as improving productivity, increasing the efficiency of our facilities and reducing loss. Operational improvements during fiscal 2011 included upgrading gas absorption refrigerators and compressors, increasing lighting efficiency, reducing air leaks and optimizing operating patterns. As a result, CO2 emissions were down 37.8% compared to fiscal 1990, with a 27.5% improvement in specific emissions per product.
- Trends in CO2 Emissions and Specific CO2 Emissions Index (approximate figures)
* Kobe Welding Wire Co. Ltd. was merged into Kobe Steel's Fukuchiyama Plant in 2011 and is therefore included in the above figures.
Aluminum & Copper Business
We are in the process of switching from oil-based fuels to natural gas. We are also working to consolidate our facilities and improve efficiency. In fiscal 2011, we made operational improvements to our combustion equipment, reduced air and steam loss, linked up production lines, fitted heat shields to buildings in order to scale back air conditioning systems, and implemented various other energy saving measures. Even taking into account reduced production levels, specific energy consumption was down slightly year-on-year and CO2 emissions fell by 47% compared to fiscal 1995 (base year) as a result.
- Trends in CO2 Emissions and Specific Energy Consumption (approximate figures)
Machinery Business
With growing demand for products such as energy-saving compressors, heat pumps and oil refining pressure vessels, we have continued to improve energy efficiency in the Machinery Business through measures to increase the efficiency of our facilities and improve productivity. In fiscal 2011, specific CO2 emissions were down by 42% compared to fiscal 1997 (base year), with total CO2 emissions similarly down by 20%.
- Trends in CO2 Emissions and Specific CO2 Emissions Index (approximate figures)
Energy Savings in Logistics
at their launch ceremonies
The Kobe Steel Group is committed to saving energy through fast, optimum logistics at every stage, from shipping raw materials to delivering finished products. We are currently working on a range of improvements, including promoting modal shift to rail and sea rather than roads, improving load efficiency, and using larger vehicles and nearby ports in order to ship items more efficiently.
Kobelco Logistics Ltd., the Kobe Steel Group's logistics company, has made a number of specific improvements, including changing the paint on ships' hulls and polishing their propellers to increase fuel efficiency. It has also replaced two of the ships it uses to transport steel with new ships that offer the highest load capacity in their class.
The two ships are called Shin Yu Maru and Shin Ai Maru, characters from which combine to form the Japanese word "yuai," meaning "friendship." They are the very latest models and feature a whole host of energy-saving technologies, including low-emission gas engines compliant with secondary NOx emissions standards and LED lighting. They are expected to make a big difference in terms of both fuel consumption and transport efficiency.
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Energy-saving measures based on CCI&GO activities
consumed by this electric furnace.
When conditions deteriorated rapidly following the collapse of Lehman Brothers in the fall of 2008, we decided that our Aluminum & Copper Business would need to secure profits even with 80% of our previous order volume. In fiscal 2009, we therefore launched "CCI activities," aimed at "cutting Costs and generating Cash through Innovation." We continued with activities in fiscal 2010 but under the new title CCI&GO, referring to "Global & Only One." We have been carrying out CCI&GO activities at a total of nine locations, including group companies, and sharing details of initiatives and other information across a whole range of areas, including saving energy, saving resources, quality, human resources, transport and industrial waste.
In terms of saving energy, activities include analyzing heat balance and usage patterns for each of our facilities, in order to improve combustion in our furnaces and reduce loss. We have been also working to reduce loss of steam and compressed air, fit inverters to electric motors, use fewer lights, increase lighting efficiency, and ensure that equipment is shut down when not in use. As well as general ongoing activities such as these, we have also been sharing information on improvements between all nine location and carrying out "cross-sectional" activities to increase effectiveness.
As a result of these activities, we made around 170 individual improvements in fiscal 2011 and managed to maintain specific energy consumption at the same level as the previous year, in spite of a roughly 10% decline in production. We were also successful in reducing energy costs at all sites, by a total of approximately 2%.
We intend to continue with these activities in fiscal 2012, under the new title "DP activities" (D: Dantotsu (undisputed number one), P: Product, Price, etc.), in an effort to increase efficiency even further and reduce waste.
Group Companies
- Examples of Measures Implemented
| Group Company | Location | Examples of Measures Implemented |
|---|---|---|
| Kansai Coke and Chemicals Co., Ltd. | Kakogawa, Hyogo | Fitted inverters to flue dust collectors; recovered steam decompression energy (SteamStar). |
| Shinko Wire Company, Ltd. | Amagasaki, Hyogo | Upgraded equipment with inverters; used energy-saving lighting; installed automatic shut-off system for plant lighting. |
| Kakogawa, Hyogo | Upgraded equipment with inverters; used energy-saving lighting. | |
| Shinko Kobe Power Inc. | Kobe, Hyogo | Optimized seawater flow rates; reduced fan power by improving desulfurization efficiency; regulated air conditioning temperature. |
| Shinko Special Tube Co., Ltd. | Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi | Fitted inverters to pumps; reviewed shipping ports; increased load efficiency by combining loads. |
| Ceratechno Co., Ltd. | Bizen, Okayama | Fitted inverters (4) to hydraulic pumps on 500t press; installed soft starters (2); fitted inverters to TK fans (6); switched to LED lighting. |
| Akashi, Hyogo | Upgraded to more efficient transformers and motors; switched to high-efficiency lighting; replaced reflective panels on lighting. | |
| Tesac Wirerope Co., Ltd. | Kaizuka, Osaka | Tightened up time management for cleaning and drying of wires; reviewed steam usage during cleaning and acid washing of wires; improved boiler insulation. |
| Hanshin Yosetsu Kizai Co., Ltd. | Okayama, Okayama | Saved power by making operational improvements to electric furnaces, reduced kerosene use by improving sintering process; fitted inverters to pumps; switched to LED lighting. |
| Sun Aluminium Industries, Ltd. | Chiba, Chiba | Fitted AC inverter to No. 6 Rolling Mill; reviewed steam piping, etc.; upgraded air conditioning; regulated air conditioning and lighting. |
| Shinko-North Co., Ltd. | Kasumigaura, Ibaraki | Fitted inverters to air conditioners; increased skylights to enable indoor lighting to be switched off. |
| Shinko Fab Tech, Ltd. | Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi | Fitted inverters to pumps and fans; improved insulation on steam pipes, hot water tanks, etc.; automatically shut off hydraulic pumps; utilized waste heat. |
| Shinko Metal Products Co., Ltd. | Kitakyushu, Fukuoka | Increased efficiency of cooling-water motors at melting furnace; upgraded to energy-saving air conditioners; fitted energy-saving V-belts to billet cutters, etc. |
| Kobelco & Materials Copper Tube, Ltd. | Hadano, Kanagawa | Improved yield ratio; prevented air leaks; switched to LED lighting; fitted energy-saving hydraulic units; switched fuel at reverberatory furnaces. |
| Kobelco Construction Machinery Co., Ltd. | Hiroshima, Hiroshima | Fitted inverters to compressor and pumps; switched to energy-saving lighting; reviewed export shipping ports. |
| Shinko Industrial Co., Ltd. | Kurayoshi, Tottori | Switched boiler fuel from heavy oil (A) to LPG; adjusted painting to save fuel; used high-efficiency lighting. |
| Shinko Engineering Co., Ltd. | Ogaki, Gifu | Reviewed temperature of boiler supply water; reviewed plant air supply pressure; upgraded to energy-saving air conditioning and lighting. |
| Shinko Special Wire (Pinghu) Co. Ltd. | Pinghu, Zhejiang, China | Implemented activities to improve yield and productivity, improve energy savings at annealing furnace, regulated air conditioning temperature, and switching off lights when not in use. |
| Grand Blanc Processing LLC. | Minnesota, USA | Adjusted pressure settings when manufacturing nitrogen for annealing, separated office light switches, made use of more natural light in warehouses |
| Kobe Welding of Tangshan Co., Ltd. | Tangshan, Hebei, China | Switched boiler fuel from light oil to LNG; installed voice-activated and light-activated switches for lighting; increased percentage of direct product shipments. |
| Kobe Precision Technology Sdn. Bhd. | Penang, Malaysia | Installed inverter compressors; upgraded to energy-saving office lighting; consolidating external warehouses; consolidating shipping routes. |
| Kobelco Compressors Manufacturing Indiana, Inc. | Indiana, USA | Developed and installing waste heat recovery compressors; switched from incandescent to fluorescent lights, |
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Ceratechno Co. Ltd. receives Director-General's Award from Chugoku Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry
At the Chugoku region award ceremony for Energy Conservation Month 2011, Ceratechno's Bizen Plant received the Director-General's Award from the Chugoku Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry in recognition of its achievements in the field of energy management.
The award recognized the plant's energy-saving measures, including preventing compressed air leaks and fitting inverters to its hydraulic pumps, as well as its long-standing energy management and energy-saving initiatives.
