FLOWBOX helped Gramex not only to save energy but also to achieve ISO 50001 certification

About GRAMEX

GRAMEX s.r.o. is a Czech company with a rich history dating back to 1991. It specializes in industrial sewing and production of upholstered seats, mainly for transport vehicles. Most of its production is directed to foreign markets. What is interesting about the company is that even in a demanding industrial sector, it takes care of sustainability and minimal environmental impact of its production and considers it as its competitive advantage. The company boasts several certifications such as ISO 9001 (quality), ISO 14001 (environment) and ISO 50001 (energy). In addition, since 2020, it has been using the FLOWBOX EMOS system to efficiently manage energy flows and comprehensively manage its buildings and technologies.

The company is headed by Jiří Pajer, who has worked his way up through the company from maintenance to production and sales to management. It was he who initiated the introduction of FLOWBOX EMOS in 2020, after first encountering the technology. The main reasons for this change were the need to save time and to be able to monitor company events from anywhere in the world, as well as the desire to reduce energy costs.

"At the time when I was in charge of the company's technical operations, energy monitoring and management systems were not yet as well developed or were completely out of reach in terms of cost. I had to supervise the company personally. This means checking before the start of the operation that the heat pumps are running and heating is on, after the end that there are no lights on, that technologies are not running that should not be running, etc. It really took a lot of time," he recalls.

As part of the tender process, he researched several other products and, thanks to his skills as well as his passion for technology, he quickly became immersed in the systems and its functions.

When asked why he chose FLOWBOX, he says: "I found FLOWBOX itself very easy to understand and logical even for a layman. After a few training sessions, I understood how it worked and I also liked the variability and the ability to answer questions about the company's operations.

FLOWBOX at GRAMEX

GRAMEX uses FLOWBOX to manage all the key technologies in production and buildings: these include ventilation, heat pump heating, lighting, air conditioning, cutter, plotters, embroidery machines, photovoltaic power plant (PVP), CCTV and security systems and air curtain control. FLOWBOX also measures the power consumption of the individual machines and also controls the technologies mutually. The implementation of FLOWBOX took about 3 months (about 14 full working days). Some of the technology had to be plugged in off-shift, but most of the integrations were relatively straightforward. For example, integrating the alarm system eliminated the installation of many sensors. For some machines, it is possible to draw data from the network. Some technologies had to be physically connected. The most complex was the replacement of lights, where conventional fluorescent lamps were completely replaced with LED bus lighting.
Jiří Pajer sees the main advantages of FLOWBOX not only in energy savings, which he estimates at 40% together with the integration of PV, but also in risk prevention and problem solving in production.

"FLOWBOX brings us energy savings, allows us to monitor key parameters over time and trace back problems. If we detect a fault or its risk, we can immediately implement preventive measures directly into the system and know that we have it properly treated for the future. All the technology is overseen by FLOWBOX and I only have notifications set up," he explains.

Implementing ISO 50001: How FLOWBOX eased the way to certification and savings

FLOWBOX EMOS played a key role in the implementation of the ISO 50001 management system that GRAMEX decided to implement and certify in 2021. The existing ISO standards made the implementation of ISO 50001 easier and GRAMEX managed the process on its own, with the exception of a few consultations regarding the interpretation of the directive.

"ISO 50001 is all about measuring, evaluating and then taking some actions that will lead to savings. At FLOWBOX we have all the tools to cover this. We don't need any xls tables on the side, we don't need to rewrite anything, we have everything in one place, basically on one screen," explains Jiří Pajer how FLOWBOX helps within the framework of ISO 50001.

With historical energy consumption data, GRAMEX was able to easily track and analyze consumption and identify opportunities for savings during the implementation of ISO 50001. FLOWBOX provides tools to manage individual technologies and measures, and monitoring allows the company to track how effective these measures are. For reporting purposes, data can be exported in a visualised form, which is also appreciated by auditors.
In addition, the introduction of FLOWBOX and the ISO 50001 certification have not only positively influenced the employees' approach to energy savings, but also increased their working comfort thanks to intelligent building management.

Recommendations of Jiri Pajer: How to choose an EMOS system

And what does Jiří Pajer recommend to companies that have decided to start managing energy?

"For companies planning to tender for an EMOS system, I recommend choosing a solution that covers not only building management but also production technology. It is important to find a system that can understand and reflect the complexity of the operation. I also recommend seeing the implementation of the system in action in a specific plant. And I'm happy to invite interested parties to join us."

GRAMEX's FLOWBOX has helped GRAMEX save on energy costs, but Jiří Pajer considers the biggest benefit to be the huge time savings. Thanks to the integration of all the technologies, he has an overview of what is happening in the company and can prevent mistakes and mix-ups caused by, for example, incorrect machine settings. FLOWBOX will alert him to such problems in time, giving him peace of mind and confidence that he is in control.

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