Bancroft Bag installs WPS Global KWH energy reduction solution at its West Monroe, Louisiana, paper bag packaging plant to reduce energy usage by 10%, reduce costs

Kendall Sinclair

MILWAUKEE , October 17, 2011 (press release) – Bancroft Bag, Inc., West Monroe, LA, recently made a proactive investment into reducing its supply-side KWH (kilowatt) consumption. The manufacturer of paper bags for pet food, fertilizer, mining, and chemical product applications, partnered with WPS Global Inc. (www.WPSGlobalInc.com) to install a customized energy reduction system in its 348,000 square foot facility. “We expect this decision will produce a significant drop in our power usage, monthly electricity bills and in downtime and expenses associated with power surge damage,” explained David Sheppert, project manager, Bancroft Bag.

The supply-side KWH reduction solution from WPS Global meets the needs of a cost-conscious, sustainability-minded operating environment like Bancroft’s with proprietary technology that ensures the bag-making equipment is not using more power than it needs. WPS Global’s system conditions the facility’s power, feeding the equipment the electricity it needs and preventing it from drawing more than necessary.

WPS Global provides a 10 percent KWH reduction guarantee and proven case studies demonstrating significant savings in energy use and costs within weeks following an installation. The system offers other benefits as well, including improved power quality and equipment surge protection.

“Packaging equipment are big consumers of energy,” explains Bill Behrmann, senior systems designer, WPS Global Inc. “Even with the newest and most advanced, high efficiency equipment, you cannot realize optimal energy effectiveness or maximum savings without controlling the supply side of the equation.”

Power surges due to lightning strikes can wreak havoc on expensive, computerized manufacturing equipment, causing thousands of dollars in damage and production losses. WPS Global installs its system on a facility’s computer-driven equipment, the most sensitive and vulnerable to electrical surges. Each system, made to withstand any lightning event that can lead to damage, involves a number of components that work together to divert electrical surges away from the equipment’s sensitive circuitry.

According to Sheppert, Bancroft Bag’s management has met with the local power supplier in the past, asking for ideas to reduce consumption, without much luck.

“WPS Global’s system is guaranteed to produce results. We believe it will help us achieve our main goal; to reduce our electrical, drive and motor replacement costs and further expand our sustainability commitment,” Sheppert adds. “Reducing energy consumption and improving our downtime will allow us to improve profitability and attain a larger market share in our industry.”

By creating a facility-specific plan, selecting equipment and placing it based on the customer’s particular needs, a WPS Global solution quickly translates to significant and enduring electrical savings for at least 15 years. After WPS Global conducts a comprehensive energy audit, presents a detailed plan and implements a customized supply-side energy-saving solution, customers see a reduction in energy usage and costs within weeks.


About WPS Global

WPS Global Inc. is an energy management organization serving corrugated, paperboard and packaging businesses. For more information, contact Bill Behrmann at 888-803-2903 or sales@wpsglobal.net, or visit www.wpsglobalinc.com.

About Bancroft Bag

Bancroft Bag operates the single largest diversified multiwall plant in the United States and serves a variety of markets -- from pet food to USDA food exports; from fertilizers to rare and costly minerals and chemicals. Bancroft Bag sells to its diverse group of customers via a network of sales representatives located throughout the US. The company was established in 1924 by Toby Bancroft, Sr., and is led by his granddaughter, co-chairman Bonnie Bancroft Woods.

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