West Fraser Cuts More Than $266,000 from Annual Energy Bill Using Medium-Voltage Drive Technology

Wood-product company nears tough carbon-reduction targets, gains enhanced operator insights, and enjoys greater asset resilience

MILTON KEYNES, England, Dec. 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK), the world's largest company dedicated to industrial automation and digital transformation, today announced that West Fraser, a diversified wood products company, has made significant gains towards stringent carbon-reduction and energy saving targets at its plant in Cowie, Scotland, thanks to its deployment of a complete Intelligent Packaged Power (IPP) solution from Rockwell Automation.

The IPP solution, comprising a CENTERLINE® 1500 medium-voltage motor control center (MCC) and three Allen-Bradley® PowerFlex® 6000T medium-voltage variable-speed drives, is deployed across three of the site's energy-intensive fan applications. Used for raw material drying, end-product extraction, and material-condition-based rejection, more precise control of all three fans has resulted in West Fraser significantly cutting overall energy consumption, translating into an annual saving of more than $266,000 (£209,939).

"When you consider the energy consumed globally by industry in motor and fan applications, it's clear variable-speed drives can have a profound positive impact in reducing energy consumption and cutting carbon levels," said Asa Arvidsson, regional vice president, central, east & north region, Rockwell Automation. "But as well as saving energy, this application highlights other benefits of a smart MCC solution."

West Fraser has ambitious sustainability targets across all its operations in North America and Europe – from forestry management to final products. As a major processing facility for medium-density fiberboard (MDF) and particleboard, the Cowie plant was an ideal opportunity for carbon reduction. The assets on site are well-suited for smart motor control technologies.

"We are now exactly where we need to be in terms of optimizing the speeds of our large process fans," said Gordon McArthur, engineering manager at West Fraser's Cowie plant. "Not only are we seeing improved process control, but we are also gaining better reliability, with the variable-speed drives adjusting the fans' speeds quickly and more precisely in line with optimum application set points. West Fraser is also a large user of Rockwell Automation technology globally, so our engineers are familiar with the control architecture and what it can achieve."

In partnership with the Rockwell Automation IPP project team, additional site installation and supervision services were provided by HF Controls, a member of the Rockwell Automation PartnerNetwork™ ecosystem, as a silver-level system integrator, and a recognized Rockwell certified system integrator for medium-voltage drive installations.

About Rockwell Automation
Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK), is a global leader in industrial automation and digital transformation. We connect the imaginations of people with the potential of technology to expand what is humanly possible, making the world more productive and more sustainable. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rockwell Automation employs approximately 27,000 problem solvers dedicated to our customers in more than 100 countries as of fiscal year end 2024. To learn more about how we are bringing the Connected Enterprise to life across industrial enterprises, visit www.rockwellautomation.com.

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