A Scunthorpe-based international packaging company installed a smart metering system to reduce its energy consumption and improve productivity using Government cash.
Skymark Packaging International installed a £30,000 “full site submetering system” to improve energy consumption and efficiency by accurately determining where electricity is used during the manufacturing processes.
The investment was backed with £5,000 Government cash – with Skymark one of several dozen firms to collectively invest more than £2.2m backed with £300,000 coming from the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).
Cllr Rob Waltham, leader of North Lincolnshire Council, said:
“This Government cash is helping many businesses in North Lincolnshire improve and develop for the future.
“It is brilliant to see companies like Skymark implementing the funding to make technology investment which are driving real change.
“These smart systems ensure they are running as efficiently as possible, and they are helping to reduce their carbon footprint.
“This latest government cash gives local organisations, local groups and local residents a fantastic opportunity to directly shape a new, exciting future for North Lincolnshire.”
The new system has seen several smart units and 54 individual monitoring stations installed which report real-time electricity consumption back to a cloud-based portal.
Now, the company will be able to determine the most efficient manufacturing processes, accurately cost each process and product range, assess the electricity impact of reducing machine work times, use the data to change behaviours, set reduction targets per machine and per department while also clearly demonstrating savings and productivity improvements.
Shaine Gill-Ohrt, Skymark’s compliance and accreditation manager, said:
“We found out about the opportunity during a business briefing at The Baths Hall back in early 2023 – although the timelines were tight, we embraced the challenge and applied for the funding.
“The project has been vital in us being able to accurately determine our energy consumption, calculating utilities and carbon levels more accurately and while we are still in the early phases it remains difficult to determine the full impact, it has opened several significant doors, not least in accurately determining costs.
“We would like to thank North Lincolnshire Council for their support and engagement in what has been a milestone project for Skymark.”
Skymark joins the likes of Trent Refractories, Harlequin Office Furniture, Sentex Hydraulics and Blended Products along with several dozen others which have invested the £2.2m after being backed with £300,000 Government cash from the £2.6bn UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
More than 250 jobs were created and protected thanks to the scheme run by North Lincolnshire Council.
The businesses invested in new machinery, IT equipment, software, marketing support to attract new clients and a raft of green technologies including solar panels, LED lights and new efficient heating systems.
For more information on accessing grants and the support available to your business, please visit the Invest in North Lincolnshire website.
