High time to get energy efficient

摘要

The massive expansion of China's manufacturing industry in recent years has been all too obvious to us in our own industry sector, but it has been duplicated in many, many others. The resultant demand for energy resources has now pushed crude oil prices above $50 a barrel on the world markets, and the cost of other energy sources such as natural gas seem to be rising inexorably in concert. Time, then, to take a long, hard look at the subject of energy efficiency in our tanneries and finishing plants. We have probably all seen posters and stickers exhorting us to switch off unwanted lighting and turn down office heating a few degrees; these can help to establish a culture of energy efficiency in an organisation, but the real energy efficiency savings are made when new process machinery and facilities are planned and specified. It should be remembered then that the extra cost of energy saving features is not simply additional expenditure—it is a financial investment, usually with a clear and guaranteed payback.