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Bosch Rexroth’s Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, facility has earned Platinum certification in the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Superior Energy Performance® (SEP) program. The facility used a rigorous energy management system to meet the ISO 50001 standard and save $2.7M over three years.

Facility staff decided to pursue SEP certification to contribute to Bosch’s 2020 target to cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 35% and improve energy efficiency by 35%. To qualify for SEP, the Bosch Rexroth facility established an energy management system using ISO 50001, tracked the consequent improvements in energy performance, and had a qualified third party verify the results.

Although Bosch facilities across the globe were implementing a range of energy savings practices, the Rexroth facility’s staff recognized the benefits of SEP’s structured approach. Where short-term projects often achieve short-lived results, Rexroth has established a system for the long haul, achieving sustained savings and projecting year-on-year energy usage reductions.

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SEP dovetails nicely with the Bosch Production System (BPS), a lean production strategy designed to eliminate waste in production and all related business systems and switch to value-added processes. Bosch examines the energy-related value stream associated with each piece of equipment, findings ways to improve performance while reducing energy usage. BPS products will reflect those savings, benefitting both the company and its customers.

Rexroth began implementing ISO 50001 through the conventional method of establishing baselines for both infrastructure and machining. Based on the results, projects were determined using what staff refer to as the “CO2 calculator” (energy and CO2 savings weighed against net present values and payback periods). However, Rexroth management quickly recognized the value of employee engagement in successful energy management implementation. The facility benefitted from input and action from those on the front lines—those working hands-on with energy-consuming equipment and systems—and instituted the Bright Idea program to reward employees with particularly useful suggestions (awarding points toward a prize).

The Bethlehem facility is the first Bosch site in the Americas to attain SEP certification. Thanks to SEP’s standardized approach, Rexroth is both trailblazer and guide to other facilities, as the lessons learned can be applied at multiple locations. The results have been published in a Bosch newspaper and on a company video, and facility staff are enthusiastic about continuing to highlight benefits and share information with the 360,000 Bosch employees worldwide.

The DOE-administered Superior Energy Performance® program provides third party verification of energy performance improvement as part of meeting ISO 50001 requirements. Members of the U.S. Council for Energy Efficient Manufacturing, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), and the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board developed SEP as a transparent system for certifying sustained improvements in energy performance and management practices.