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Trelleborg Group is a global leader in the engineering and production of polymers. Polymers are long chains of molecules that serve as building blocks in rubber and plastics, and they are necessary for creating sealing used across the aerospace, oil & gas, hydropower industries.
As an international organisation, Trelleborg is committed to reducing its energy consumption and carbon emissions and, within the UK the company has recently completed a major sustainability transformation.
- Energy consumption decreased by 28%
- 100% transition to renewable energy across 19 UK sites
- Solar, EV Infrastructure & True platform fully implemented
THE CHALLENGE
With 19 sites spread across the UK and with a range of different energy suppliers and energy contracts, Trelleborg lacked clarity on energy procurement. Furthermore, none of the sites utilised renewable energy solutions.
Without a centralised energy strategy, the company did not have a clear view of its energy costs and how fluctuations in the market could impact the business on a short- and long-term basis.
A knowledge gap was also evident when it came to the impact of market forces on energy prices, meaning the Trelleborg team could not take advantage of price dips or protect themselves from price spikes.
Furthermore, as an organisation with ambitions to operate sustainably, a significant transformation and investment was required to ensure energy consumption was reduced while carbon emissions were cut.
“We had a range of energy suppliers for 19 sites across the UK and it took a while just to get to grips with our position regarding energy. I started at a base level and worked through to get all the sites under one umbrella. Instead of having various contracts for one, three, five years or no contracts, I set about arranging a fixed contract for the first 12 months.”
Colin Farrell, Global Sourcing Specialist
THE SOLUTION
Trelleborg made the decision to work with True, and its team of energy procurement & sustainability experts, to centralise and strategise its long-term future.
The first issue to overcome was the wide range of energy suppliers and contracts that the company used to supply its various sites, a task taken on by Global Sourcing Specialist, Colin Farrell.
Once achieved, Trelleborg was able to make two major changes. Firstly, costs could be reduced as energy contracts had been renegotiated and secondly, C02 emissions were reduced as a result of less consumption.
Using True, a full picture of the company’s energy consumption was made available at every site, allowing Trelleborg to make strategic and meaningful changes to its operations.
The platform helped the team to understand where the largest areas of consumption were concentrated and where energy could be saved, resulting in a 28% reduction in usage.
Working with the True team, Trelleborg was provided with clear and concise information relating, not only to its own energy consumption, but also the fluctuations impacting the price of energy within the UK market.
This ensured that forecasting on energy costs could be accurately planned and mitigated for if increases were expected.
"True has instilled confidence into a market that has been lacking in transparency for a long time. We need to look at long term, and for me, True is a long-term business partner, rather than a two three or a four-year proposition.”
Colin Farrell, Global Sourcing Specialist
THE RESULTS
As highlighted above, Trelleborg was able to reduce its total energy consumption by 28% following its use of the True platform and its partnership with the True team.
The company was able to make a 100% green energy transition with the support of energy procurement and sustainability specialists working for True.
The move to renewable energy combined with the restructuring of energy & gas contracts resulted in a £6.5 million saving since collaborating with the True team.
Are you a sustainability expert working to drive change across your organisation?
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Read more about Colin Farrell and his work to transform Trelleborg Group as part of the campaign, here.
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