DS Smith Plastics - Worldwide Dispensers

DS Smith Plastics – powerPerfected
Worldwide Dispensers (a part of DS Smith Plastics) is a successful and long-established manufacturer of high quality, plastic taps and related dispensing filaments

The Challenge, the solution and the savings
The Merton, London site is supplied by three transformers off an HV ring, each supply requiring its own powerPerfector unit as our voltage power optimisation technology brings the average 242V down to the optimum 220V. Initially, to prove our savings potential, only one supply was optimised with an 830kVA/1200A unit on a 7% setting (25^th September 2006), which was then shortly followed by two further units; a 560kVA & 420kVA set at 8% on 29^th December 2006.

Topline results
With the optimisation settings specified we would have expected savings in the region of 11.5-13%; with DS Plastics we are delighted to announce savings of 22%. This reduction is equivalent to £100,672 or 103 tonnes CO₂ every year – the same as flying from London to New York almost 150 times (source: The Carbon Neutral Company). powerPerfector technology has made sure that the site operates more efficiently, benefits from improved power quality and is protected against transients (power spikes) of up to 25kV. All this was with a minimum of disruption due to a carefully planned shutdown and installation, carried out over a single weekend. With absolutely no moving parts, the powerPerfector units need no maintenance beyond the statutory 5 year checks required of all electrical equipment.

Voltage Power Optimisation. The less obvious benefits

Reduced maintenance, longer life
All electrical equipment has an optimum voltage at which it works best. A powerPerfected supply delivers that optimum and reduces the strain on your electrical equipment, leaving it to work more reliably and for longer.

Better quality power supply
Some things you may have accepted for years, but product faults can turn out to be caused by a poor quality power supply. For instance, the life of incandescent light bulbs is almost doubled when the supply voltage is optimised. Now imagine that in relation to an IT network or an expensive piece of manufacturing equipment.

Missing the penalty kick
Power factor penalty charges – which are now uncapped in the UK – can be avoided if your power factor is above .95. If your power factor is at around 0.9 at the moment, powerPerfector could remove your exposure to these charges by improving the electrical efficiency of your site.

Lower harmonic distortion and reduced neutral currents
powerPerfectors are able to filter harmonics on the mains incomer. Harmonic distortion is on the increase and can lead to random failures of electronic equipment – particularly computers.

Protection
Transients – very brief spikes in voltage from the grid – of up to 25,000V are eliminated by powerPerfector. Transients at this level can cause catastrophic damage to equipment, but smaller, more common transient events will also shorten the life expectancy of electrical equipment over time.