CalPortland Company:

In Practice

Partner Profile

CalPortland, a cement and concrete manufacturing company with production facilities located throughout the southwestern United States, has established itself as an industry leader by building on its commitment to manage energy strategically.  CalPortland participates in the ENERGY STAR Cement Focus and has been awarded Partner of the Year and Sustained Excellence awards for several consecutive years.

Industrial Partner Since 1996

Awards & Recognition

  • Partner of the Year - Energy Management(2005,2006)
  • Sustained Excellence(2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013)

Contact Information:
 CalPortland Company
2025 E Financial Way
Glendora, CA 91741
818-852-6200

In Practice

1: Make Commitment

See this Guideline Step
 

1.2: Establish an Energy Team

Energy Management at All Levels

CalPortland's energy program involves all parts of the organization, from the CEO, and Senior VP for Operations, to energy teams at the plant level.  Senior Management does not serve as a figurehead role on the energy team, but rather is involved with the functioning of the energy program through regular energy team meeting attendance and participation in energy team events.  CalPortland has structured its energy program with a central corporate energy team supported by plant energy teams that ensure program support and innovation goes in both directions between plants and headquarters.  There is even a team comprised solely of process engineers from across the corporation who work on energy use in production.  The CEO's involvement with the energy program demonstrates to the organization that managing energy effectively is a company priority.  Since 2007, the company has improved its energy intensity by 10.6%.

4: Create Action Plan

See this Guideline Step
 

4.1: Define Technical Steps and Targets

ENERGY STAR Focus Pays

When CalPortland Company reorganized its energy team, they first looked to the ENERGY STAR Guidelines for Energy Management for an overall management framework.  Next, they became active in the ENERGY STAR Cement Focus, and studied the ENERGY STAR Energy Savings Opportunities in Cement Manufacturing guide to determine technical measures they could take towards energy efficiency in their plants.   Reviewing the energy guide in depth revealed many energy saving opportunities to CalPortland.  Their energy managers then created a checklist for target initiatives
such as: specific schedules of audits to be performed, creation of new specifications for equipment
operation, and other plant energy-saving opportunities to evaluate.  As a result of these efforts,
CalPortland is now making substantial progress toward meeting specific energy objectives, such as
decreasing their energy use from compressed air and maximizing their process efficiency.

4.2: Determine Roles and Resources

Focusing on Process Pays

Many industrial manufacturers are hesitant to look to the process of production for improvements in energy performance. However, CalPortland Company realized early on that they could only create a successful energy program with the involvement of their process engineers.  So, CalPortland established a Process Energy Team along with their other plant teams, to address the main use of energy at their plants: the manufacturing process.  Many organizations see process energy as an "untouchable" use of energy because plant managers are often wary of energy teams changing the production process. CalPortland negated this fear and found a way to involve those who are the essential guardians of the company's profit: the production engineers.  CalPortland also gave their vendors responsibility for their energy performance by securing agreements from them that they each must meet CalPortland's premium efficiency requirements for motors and other parts.  The cumulative effect of CalPortland's groundbreaking program was an improvement of its energy intensity by 10.6% since 2007.

5: Implement Action Plan

See this Guideline Step
Internally Promoting Program Achievements

CalPortland uses video-conferenced bi-monthly energy meetings and corporate staff meetings to promote the energy program to executives and middle management in order to ensure their continued support of the energy program.  CalPortland's Energy Director gives periodic reports at corporate staff meetings outlining the energy program goals and achievements. Participation in these meetings puts energy management on the corporate strategy agenda.  To maintain the strategic emphasis, energy management is a topic of discussion at all quarterly corporate cost review meetings, and is a frequent agenda item at executive, staff and board meetings.  Continued executive involvement has paid off; Since 2007, the company has improved its energy intensity by 10.6%.

5.2: Raise Awareness

Spreading the Word

CalPortland has begun to use social networking with a new LinkedIn group to keep employees informed of energy team activities.  Furthermore, the establishment of a corporate green team has allowed the energy team to reach out to a greater number of CalPortland employees.  Earth Week events are celebrated throughout the company with luncheons, ENERGY STAR logo cakes, and speakers including the CEO and energy team members.  Recycle lunch bags with ENERGY STAR pamphlets, a letter from the CEO and ENERGY STAR award logo stickers are also distributed to all employees.

 

5.3: Build Capacity

Best Practice Sharing

CalPortlands engineering department is spending more time on assisting plants with low/no cost energy project implementation due to a decrease in the number of capital projects.  Additionally, CalPortlands energy team is developing Best Practices Tip Sheets that will be distributed to all energy managers and posted on the companys website.  The company is also working on an Energy Checklist that can be used when any member of the energy team or engineering department is visiting any plan regardless of the purpose of the visit.

 

5.4: Motivate

Instill Competition

CalPortland's cement plants track specific energy performance per plant process area.  Shift reports are generated and evaluated to instill competition between shifts.

 

7: Recognize Achievements

See this Guideline Step

7.1: Internal Recognition

Recognizing Superior Energy Performance on Several Levels

Energy achievements and superior performance are recognized on several levels at CalPortland Company.  CalPortlands CEO and Energy Manager recognize top-performing energy managers during corporate energy meetings.  Individuals and plants are recognized for outstanding performance through emails, staff meeting announcements and company newsletters.  CalPortland has instituted an ENERGY STAR of the Year Award that is presented to a member of CalPortlands energy team at the year-end corporate staff meeting.  A follow up article also appears in the company newsletter.  CalPortland also rewards good energy ideas through its TPM Idea of the Month program where employees are given rewards for the best ideas to save energy.  Notifications of energy awards are promoted through newsletters, employee luncheons, internet/intranet and emails from the Energy Director.