BPM Inc of Peshtigo, Wis. was honored on May 28, 2009 at the Wisconsin Paper Council's Annual Meeting in Neenah, Wis. for earning the prestigious Governor’s Award for Excellence in Energy Efficiency.

With the help of Focus on Energy, Wisconsin’s energy efficiency and renewable energy initiative, the paper manufacturer has launched aggressive energy saving efforts and continue to investigate new technologies and find more ways to save energy throughout their mill. Efficiency efforts the mill has taken include:

· Completing numerous feasibility studies to find innovative and cost effective ways to save energy,

· Hiring an on-staff energy engineer dedicated to completing energy efficiency projects,

· Upgrading lighting, steam trap, motor and compressed air systems mill-wide,

· Improving equipment operating efficiency with continued preventive maintenance.

"We’re proud to present BPM Inc with the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Energy Efficiency," said Ken Williams, Focus on Energy’s business programs director. "We applaud their commitment to the environment and recognize them as a positive example for other businesses to follow."

Since 2008, Focus on Energy has awarded more than $125,000 in financial incentives to BPM Inc. From these efforts the fine papers and packaging manufacturer has saved more than 1.4 million kilowatt-hours of electricity and 370,000 therms of natural gas annually – enough energy to power 525 Wisconsin homes for a year. As a result, the mill will save more than $470,000 in annual energy costs.

While investigating new ways to save energy BPM Inc recently discovered it could effectively cut the production time for pulping a batch of stock by 50 percent. By exploring and testing options the changes will help save more than $55,000 in annual energy costs.

"Focus on Energy helps us be the viable paper mill we are today," said Jim Koronkiewicz, general manager at BPM Inc. "We wouldn’t have found all the potential for energy savings without Focus."

Since 2001, Focus on Energy has delivered cost effective energy solutions to Wisconsin consumers, farms and businesses. Focus can help businesses identify and evaluate energy saving opportunities, report findings with specific recommendations, develop energy management plans and arrange technical training opportunities about energy conservation – helping improve bottom lines and lower operating cost.

BPM, Inc is a Peshtigo, Wis. manufacturer of specialty and fine papers and packaging solutions. Its company philosophy embraces building long-term relationships with customers who appreciate value added specialty products. BPM’s fine paper products are used in retail, commercial and office environments, and printed for various applications. BPM’s flexible packaging products are used primarily in the confectionary, fast food, grocery and drug/pharmaceutical industries. BPM's manufacturing capabilities are complimented with expertise in printing, waxing, roll and sheet converting, and packaging.

Focus on Energy works with eligible Wisconsin residents and businesses to install cost effective energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. Focus information, resources and financial incentives help to implement projects that otherwise would not be completed, or to complete projects sooner than

Thinking outside of the box paid off for BPM Inc. After investing in energy-efficient technologies and modifying some processes, the company is seeing substantial natural gas and electric savings.

BPM Inc. manufactures specialty paper and flexible packaging products at its 300,000 square-foot mill in Peshtigo. The company got a fresh start in 2005 when its assets were sold, and it restarted operations as BPM (formerly Badger Paper Mills).

"This was an ideal time to look for ways to control costs. We needed to stop doing things the same way just because they had always been done that way," said Jim Koronkiewicz, General Manager. "We investigated new options and approaches to find better ways to run our plant more efficiently, manage energy use, save money and keep the company strong."

BPM joined forces with representatives from Focus on Energy and Wisconsin Public Service. This energy team reviewed plant operations, examined equipment and identified projects that would make an impact at the mill.

"It was really a grassroots effort that started with us questioning where we were using energy, how we were doing things and if there was a better way to get the job done," Koronkiewicz said. "We did our homework and felt comfortable moving forward with several major projects."

Over the past two years, BPM has invested more than $1.8 million in energy-saving efforts. The largest project, which wrapped up in 2007, was installing a $1.25 million boiler system. This energy-efficient equipment reduced BPM's natural gas consumption by more than 15%. That translates to about $745,000 in energy savings annually. Additionally, it eliminates more than 5,500 tons of carbon dioxide emissions, equivalent to taking more than 800 cars off the road.

The boiler has other advantages too:

Excess steam it produces that is not used by BPM's paper machines is captured and used to help heat the mill in winter.

State-of-the-art controls on the boiler allow BPM to retrieve and view data on how the equipment is operating. This information is used to make minor adjustments to the boiler that add up to huge energy savings without sacrificing quality or productivity.

"We expected energy savings from this improvement, but the boiler project turned out to be a greater success than we ever anticipated," Koronkiewicz said.

Other Efforts

BPM also replaced a steam drive with a variable speed electric drive on one of its paper machines. With this upgrade, the machine uses less energy and operates more efficiently.

"This was a $350,000 investment, and we saw payback in less than one year," Koronkiewicz said.

Lighting is another area BPM recently tackled. The company upgraded 70% of the fixtures in the mill. The new lighting system includes motion sensors that turn off lights in unoccupied areas.

"Although the mill is open 24/7, all areas of our building are not occupied around the clock, and the motion sensors really help us conserve energy," Koronkiewicz said. "We have seen a significant drop in our lighting costs since this project was implemented."

Along with these high-profile projects, operators have found ways to run existing equipment with significant energy reductions. This includes lowering temperatures in the Yankee Dryer hood on the #1 paper machine, eliminating the use of steam for pocket ventilation to dry paper on the #2 machine, and reducing the pulping time required for stock preparation.

BPM received funding from Focus on Energy to help finance their energy projects. The company also received an Industrial Program Staffing Grant for 2008, which was done through energy team member Jerry Aue from Focus on Energy. With this grant, Focus on Energy helps cover the salary of a staff person to manage the implementation of energy-efficiency projects.

"We hired an engineer, Steve Peterich, to take on that energy management role," Koronkiewicz said. "He and Randy Cohorst, Paper Mill Superintendent, lead our energy team to move projects along and identify ways we can improve processes internally to conserve energy."

And, there are more energy projects on the horizon at BPM. From paper machine steam studies to pump studies, the company continues to seek out energy-saving improvements that will impact their bottom line.

For More Information

If you would like more information about how to improve your company's energy efficiency, contact the WPS Business Solutions Center at 877-444-0888, or your account executive.