Coillte: Forest Logistics Energy Optimisation Project
Coillte collaborated with all interested parties in their wood supply chain to identify opportunities for energy efficiency savings. Their project achieved significant results for all involved.
Key achievements
Incentives from Enprova and SEAI ensured that hauliers focused on fuel efficiency to quickly deliver measurable savings.
A measurement and verification plan has been put in place to measure, report and verify fuel savings across the truck fleet.
This included speed increases from 47kph to 51kph, increase in cruise control usage, and 10% reduction in idling
Annual cost savings of over €1m shows that the project has been a significant success for Coillte.
The project
Coillte Forest's core business is supplying logs to sawmills and panel board manufacturing facilities. Coillte Project Manager, Mike O'Shea, carried out a comprehensive market analysis in 2011 on the current transport operations with a view to introducing improvements and efficiencies.
| Annual Energy (kWh) | Annual Costs (€) | Annual CO2 (kg) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before project | 99,167,000kWh | 12,288,970 | 26,135,073 |
| After project | 88,967,000 | 11,195,596 | 23,443,073 |
| Savings (% in parentheses) | 10,200,000 (9.5% saving) | 1,093,374 (8.9% saving) | 2,692,000 (9.5% saving) |
Coillte was established in 1989 and today it employs 900 people. Coillte Forest's core business is supplying logs to sawmills and panel board manufacturing facilities. Coillte Project Manager, Mike O'Shea, carried out a comprehensive market analysis in 2011 on the current transport operations with a view to introducing improvements and efficiencies.
The vision of the project was to:
- Improve log & equipment security reducing theft with vehicle and trailer tracking
- Empower and strengthen small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) log hauliers by reducing fuel usage
- Put in place the infrastructure to take the industry as a whole forward, with the aim that empty running should be reduced to minimum for hauliers and customers
The specific technologies supplied by Blue Tree Systems included:
- GPS trackers on trucks and on trailers (CAN-bus interface & Driver Tacho interface)
- In-Cab computer to automate paper based systems
- Website for haulier to view information & reports
This state of the art technology was offered to all log hauliers at 80% off the negotiated capital cost to encourage rapid take-up. Coillte paid 45%, an SEAI grant covered 35%, and the haulier paid the balance of 20%. Upon completion of installation, commissioning and payment to Coillte, ownership and warranty transferred to the haulier.
The haulier then used the reports to manage:
- Drivers' hours, reducing labour costs and driver fatigue
- Routing to reduce empty running and optimise work planning
- Operational performance to reduce fuel usage
To help hauliers use this new technology effectively and realise the potential energy savings, Enprova incentivised hauliers to participate in transport energy management training at workshops around Ireland.
A second preferred supplier called Asset Forestry Logistics was selected to manage the transport planning and truck dispatch functions within the wood supply chain. They leverage the technology installed in the trucks to bring about efficiencies and improved security initiatives.
"Very worthwhile project. The training has taught us that you have to keep working at saving fuel. Fuel savings have been enormous, way beyond what we expected at the start of the project; when we were sceptical that the effort required would produce significant results".
The results of this project speak for themselves, savings of 10.2 GWh is a phenomenal achievement. This project was an excellent example of how different parties in the Wood Supply chain worked together collaboratively to achieve outstanding results that ultimately benefits everyone.
Finance and funding
Total project cost: Approx € 750,000
Contract type: ESCo, Coillte acted as supplier to SMEs
Finance sources: Internal
Additional funding: SEAI BEW Scheme
Savings Verification: IPMVP
Coillte
Mike O'Shea (Business Process Improvement Team Leader)
Mick Fenton (Woodflow Distribution Manager)
Mark Carlin (General Manager)
Conor Molloy
AEMS - Authentic Energy Management Services
www.aems.ie
01 230 5018
Ronan McDonnell
The Logistics Consultants
www.thelogisticsconsultants.com
086 838 5278
Trevor Durnin
Bluetree Systems
www.bluetree.ie
091 520 053
Paddy Sweeney
Enprova
www.enprova.ie
01 801 0066
Dan Turkington
Asset Forestry Logistics