By Brighton Mwarehwa: Offer and Marketing Director – Power Systems Business Unit at Schneider Electric

Pushing the boundaries of efficiency is an imperative for   production and distribution in the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industry, with companies under pressure due to demand and delivery. However, ensuring the seamless operation of power systems has a direct effect on this, which highlights its critical role in guaranteeing reliability and operational continuity.

Core to this is assessing power supply consistency, testing backups, and evaluating potential impacts on critical processes. Implementing real-time monitoring, proactive backup testing, and fortifying essential equipment with added layers of protection are crucial for maintaining a consistent and dependable power infrastructure for CPG operations.

Real-time monitoring can be described as your assets’ personal health tracker.  There are two main areas: asset health and consumption. By vigilantly monitoring these two areas, you are essentially giving your systems a wellness check, ensuring they are in peak condition. Consumption is about setting alarms to stay on track and pinpointing those areas where you can make significant energy savings. 

Importantly, organisations can leverage energy audits to help identify areas of inefficiency, while power factor correction can ensure the optimal use of electricity. By adopting energy-efficient technologies, companies can realise further savings by reducing energy consumption. Together, these measures provide a comprehensive approach to optimising energy usage and cutting costs.

Consistency of power supply

To assess the consistency of power supply and test backup systems to ensure operational continuity in CPG operations, its important to do a deep dive into the complete system architecture to define the main and backup supply. Secondly, we zero in on potential game-changers: single points of failure that could cripple operations and drain profits. This includes the reliability of power supply carriers, such as panels, cables and transformers. Power supply equipment must be reliable to sustain powercontinuity and this is typically measured through obsolesce status and the degree of global stress.

Furthermore, strengthening essential equipment with additional protection layers in the CPG sector ensures consistent and reliable power infrastructure by minimising the risk of downtime due to power disruptions. These layers can include surge protection, backup power systems and robust monitoring solutions, all of which help mitigate the impact of potential outages.

Additionally, routine checks, swift problem solving and strict compliance with industry standards and regulations are also crucial for safeguarding sensitive equipment in the CPG sector. Regular maintenance checks proactively identify potential issues before they escalate, while prompt issue resolution minimises downtime. Adherence to industry standards ensures that equipment is properly installed, maintained and operated, which reduces the risk of power disruptions and ensures continuous operations in the realm of CPG.

Staying ahead of the regulatory curve is also highly advisable that organisations in this sector  ensure seamless operations and alignment with industry benchmarks. Regulations are always updated according to research and development that aims to increase industry efficiency and sustainability goals. As a result, continuous assessment is the lynchpin to improving operations and aligning with industry benchmarking as it enables compliance with local and international regulations.

Mitigating risk

By conducting a comprehensive risk assessment and developing contingency plans for their power systems, organisations in the CPG industry can mitigate operational risks. Conducting comprehensive risk assessments involves evaluating vulnerabilities in power systems, such as ageing infrastructure, geographical location, and dependency on critical equipment. Contingency plans are the backbone, including implementing backup power sources, establishing communication protocols and training staff for emergency response.

Predictive maintenance tools play a crucial role in ensuring the resilience and preparedness of CPG power systems by leveraging data analytics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms to forecast potential issues before they escalate. These tools enable proactive maintenance, minimise downtime and optimise asset performance, ultimately enhancing operational efficiency and reliability.

Collaboration with industry experts can provide tailored solutions to optimise power system performance and minimise risks. Innovative software platforms provide real-time monitoring of asset health and energy consumption, making it an invaluable resource for organisations seeking optimised power system performance and risk reduction.

Audits too play a significant role and can deliver equipment stress assessments with four main solutions: maintenance plans, modernisation plans for system design and obsolesce, management plans and monitoring plans. These solutions can assist organisations in reinforcing the reliability, compliance and efficiency of power systems for  CPG businesses.

In the fast-paced world of CPG, operational excellence is non-negotiable. By implementing comprehensive risk assessments and agile contingency plans, organisations can navigate uncertainties with confidence. Real-time monitoring acts as the lifeline, ensuring asset health and consumption are finely tuned for peak performance.