About Constellium
Constellium is a global leader in designing and manufacturing high-value aluminum products and solutions for the aerospace, automotive, and packaging markets. The company operates 27 manufacturing sites across Europe, North and Central America, and China.
The Problem
30% of all compressed air is wasted, and with the cost of energy on the rise, locating and fixing air leaks is essential to saving money and allowing your plant to run more efficiently. Constellium realized this and identified a key initiative in their maintenance strategy for their Ravenswood, WV facility: air and gas leaks. Ultrasonic frequencies caused by air and gas leaks cannot be heard by the human ear, so leaks often go unnoticed.
The Solution
Constellium decided it was time to use ultrasound technology to listen to their assets and drastically reduce unexpected downtime while also prolonging the life of their assets. They purchased ultrasonic instruments from UE Systems to implement an ultrasound-based predictive maintenance program for compressed air and gas leak detection and bearing monitoring and lubrication. Using the Ultraprobes, they were able to perform an air and gas leak survey around their facility, finding many leaks consisting of natural gas, nitrogen, and argon
Results
Once they repaired these leaks, they noticed their energy usage decreased over $25,000 in argon leaks alone in the following two weeks. Throughout the course of the year, they estimated a total cost avoidance of $235,000. By fixing the leaks, Constellium saved a significant amount of money. Additionally, when leaks are properly sealed, it is less of a burden on the equipment because the machines don’t have to work as hard to compensate for the lost energy. With the implementation of ultrasound technology, Constellium successfully installed a reliable and efficient compressed air and gas leak program, resulting in an additional $235,000 per year to reallocate their time and budget more resourcefully across the organization.
Summary
