Thomas Dudley LTD

Installation of an automated Monitoring and Targeting (aM&T) System.

Client Summary

Thomas Dudley is a 100 year old family run company incorporating a number of businesses that focus on designing, developing, manufacturing and selling specific products to suit customer needs. They have been manufacturing in the UK since the company’s inception in 1920. By the 1950s, the foundry was producing a wide range of products including cast iron WC cisterns. However, following a number of harsh winters, they began manufacturing frost-resistant, heavy-duty rubber cisterns. This move paved the way for the plastics division which started to manufacture plastic injection moulded models shortly afterwards. As the foundry expanded, they invested heavily in mechanised plant and installed seven automated moulding lines between 1966 and 1988.

Between 1969 and 1971, a new building was also erected to house the plastics division and their existing office block was completed. Today, Thomas Dudley is a hugely successful manufacturing business, employing over 500 people and generating an annual turnover exceeding £50 million. Martin Dudley, CEO of Thomas Dudley Group Ltd, is the current Chair of the Industrial Advisory Board of the Repowering the Black Country project. Through this project they have helped promote sustainable manufacturing, innovation and skills development within the Black Country.

They have supported various local establishments such as: Dudley Academies Trust (Trustee), Dudley Business Champions (Chair), BC LEP (Member), and Metals Forum Skills Group (Member) to reduce carbon emissions. Thomas Dudley continues to support the local community through charity and working closely with schools to provide the skills needed in the future.

Thomas Dudley’s Green Initiative

Thomas Dudley Ltd has always understood the importance of energy to the business and the relationship between energy consumption and carbon emissions. Over the past 3 years, with the help of Pro Enviro, Thomas Dudley has developed a better understanding of the impact of their production activities on the environment and closely monitors and manages their Green House Gas (GHG) emissions. The business established a strategic intention to reduce energy consumption and the GHG emissions associated with its core products and manufacturing activities.

In the past two years the company has embarked on implementation of several Low Carbon process optimisation projects and has developed a net zero carbon strategy to decarbonise their manufacturing operation by 2040.

Installation of an aM&T System

An incremental approach has been taken to improve the business’ understanding of the drivers of energy consumption including a benchmarking exercise to determine the current position of the business against Best Available Techniques (BAT) in energy consumption per unit of casting.

The initial stages were to understand consumption patterns at macro level, utilising Envirotracks to provide half hourly data analysis of all manufacturing sites. Below shows the overall consumption reduction from their baseline year 2019, to the most recent data period of July - September 2022.

Macro level study using half hourly data also allows Thomas Dudley to closely monitor the maximum demand of the operation, including the level of non-productive load in kVAr usage from inefficient plant.

At a lower level there is the daily consumption macro analysis, which allows Thomas Dudley to accurately see their consumption on a daily scale, identify consumption trends, see which days have an increase in energy consumption, and measure the level of non-productive baseload.This was followed by the identification of consumption levels and patterns at the plant/ departmental level in both foundries, using temporary sub meters to identify and measure the level of non-productive energy consumption and costs.

The next stage was the installation of a real-time automated Monitoring and Targeting system (aM&T - SEE Change) that collects and collates real-time data on energy consumption using 40 electric meters installed on all energy intensive plant and their ancillary equipment. These permanent meters provide production performance reports which are analysed on a daily basis by the management and engineering staff to optimise the production activities. Alarms and alerts have also been set up for each item of plant to identify when energy consumption outside the expected norms occurs. This enables immediate action to be taken to eliminate any unexpected or unnecessary consumption.

With all this data collected and collated, Thomas Dudley now utilise an online repository of energy, carbon and production data, and have developed Net-Zero carbon strategies and objectives. This includes close monitoring of the firm’s Scope 1, 2 and 3 CO2e emissions. The Pro Enviro Energy and Carbon Portal (ECP) allows Thomas Dudley to store all their energy and GHG emissions data into one easy to access location, and can provide comparative analysis from their baseline year of 2019 to the present, as well as the ability to monitor successful deployment of energy efficiency and decarbonisation projects.

With assistance from Pro Enviro, Thomas Dudley have taken a data driven approach to understanding its consumption drivers and use that same approach to identify opportunities for improvements. Through installation of an automated Monitoring and Targeting system, Thomas Dudley has significantly reduced energy consumption and costs, Greenhouse Gas emissions and their impact on the environment, without impacting its competitive edge. Using the developed baseline year of 2019, Thomas Dudley has managed to achieve total carbon savings of 435 tCO2e by the end of 2021, with a total reduction of 6% of Greenhouse gas emissions for Scopes 1 and 2 within their 4 manufacturing operations.

With the application of a science-based approach and through the inclusion of Low Carbon and Net-Zero carbon strategies in their business development plans, all manufacturing operations at Thomas Dudley will achieve the ambitious target of becoming Net-Zero carbon by 2040.