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News Release from: Smithers Rapra
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 23 June 2005
Online questionnaire helps benchmark
energy use
Plastics processors throughout Europe now have a free opportunity to collaborate on and benchmark their energy usage and costs against their peers in plastics manufacture.
Plastics processors throughout Europe now have a free opportunity to collaborate on and benchmark their energy usage and costs against their peers in plastics manufacture The market survey of energy usage in European plastics processing is being carried out by the newly formed RECIPE (Reduced Energy Consumption in Plastics Engineering) team, which was launched at Rapra Technology in March 2005
An online questionnaire and interactive website - www.eurecipe.com - is now available to help all European plastics processors and users of energy.
Benefits from filling in the online questionnaire include: a confidential copy of the RECIPE survey - benchmarking any contributing company's energy use figures against all others in the survey; "The true cost of machine ownership" - a free software tool that allows accurate calculations of energy use and potential savings; "The energy manager's toolkit" - a free software resource that allows better management of energy resources; free market update on energy markets/matters in Europe; and a free and bespoke newsletter for RECIPE participants.
RECIPE Project Manager Suzanne Wilkinson says: "I strongly urge all European plastics processors to take a few minutes to fill in the questionnaire and become a part of our project by the deadline of Monday 5th September 2005".
"There are many benefits to being a part of RECIPE from the outset - not least that the programme will run for the next 30 months and will contain significant future benefits to those users who demonstrate a real willingness to improve their energy performance and reduce its cost and use".
A general version of the first RECIPE energy survey will be produced at the end of October.
The website is currently taking registrations and questionnaires and is available in five languages.
The RECIPE initiative was established by research and opportunities identified by the Faraday Plastics and Polymers Partnership.
It is jointly administered by Faraday Plastics and Rapra Technology, Europe's leading polymer research and test house.
It involves partner organisations from six European countries that are now set to establish and promote best energy-saving practice in plastics processing across Europe.
The initiative is part of the European Commission's Intelligent Energy - Europe programme.
The overall objective of the three year RECIPE project is to provide the 27,000 companies in European plastics processing industry with the knowledge, justification and tools required to reduce energy consumption, through the implementation of best practice, and the adoption of new technology.
A key aim of the proposed new RECIPE programme is to demonstrate that energy purchase should be considered as a variable materials cost, with substantial potential for reductions to be made.
Many of RECIPE's target companies are processing substantial volumes of plastics in highly cost-driven markets such as packaging, domestic goods, and construction.
They are currently facing intense competition from lower wage economies, as well as significant increases in the prices they pay for energy.
Thus many will be receptive to a cost-driven message, which will ultimately lead to reduced energy consumption across plastics processing.
Rapra and Faraday Plastics' partners in the project include the BPF, who bring to the consortium their experience in providing best practice guidance to UK industry.
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