Episode 06 - Scott

Energy Efficiency and Manufacturing with Scott Bargerstock

 

Episode 6: Show Notes

 

When we look at different manufacturing types, we usually find so many commonalities that energy efficiency solutions can often be leveraged from one industry to the other. Today’s guest understands this well. In this episode, we speak to Scott Bargerstock, the Director of Manufacturing Productivity and Global Energy at Mohawk Industries which is the world's largest manufacturer of flooring. Scott oversees more than 100 plants and has been highly successful in reducing energy consumption. Tuning in, you’ll hear what Scott does on a day-to-day basis at Mohawk and how he finds and addresses opportunities across the KPIs of energy savings, waste management, and production processes. Scott talks about some of the biggest lessons he has learned in his career, debunks some of the common myths associated with energy efficiency, and reflects on the most impactful initiative he’s been involved in. Scott shares insight into how some states offer rebates for plants that meet certain criteria and explains how he stays up to date with changing federal laws. To find out the first thing Scott would recommend to anyone wanting to improve production efficiencies, as well as many helpful resources, tune in today!

 

Key Points From This Episode:

 

  • Scott talks about his role at Mohawk and his efforts to reduce energy consumption.

  • What Scott does on a day-to-day basis at Mohawk.

  • How he finds equal opportunities across the KPIs of energy savings, waste management, and production processes.

  • The long and odd path that led Scott to Mohawk and his current role. 

  • The value of being very specific about what can be saved, the expense, and the return on investment when it comes to production efficiencies.  

  • How Scott would address the problem of a plant that's not quite meeting expectations.

  • Mohawk method for measuring success: financials, emissions, speed, etc. 

  • An example of how an energy tool is also providing improved maintenance support. 

  • The first thing Scott would recommend to anyone wanting to improve production efficiencies.

  • Resources where you can find other useful information for improving production efficiencies.

  • The one thing Scott is most hoping to get approved for 2022.

  • How some states offer rebates for plants that meet certain criteria and how Mohawk has benefited from this. 

  • How Scott stays up to date with changing federal laws and some of the helpful resources that he uses. 

  • Some of the biggest lessons that Scott has learned in his career. 

  • Scott debunks some of the common myths associated with energy efficiency. 

  • Scott reflects on the most impactful initiative he’s been involved in: a steam plant in Virginia.

  • The story of a challenging project that Scott views as his favorite. 

  • How Scott predicts that manufacturing 4.0 and smart factories are going to impact his role in the future.

 

Tweetables:

 

“When we're looking at a production waste, we're always looking at, ‘What's my energy consumed there?’ Because that, of course, is a commodity we will never recover. Even if we do a full recycle of the waste product, we'll never get that energy back.” — Scott Bargerstock [0:06:32]

 

“We strive to document and, rather than provide estimates, we try to provide calculated savings. When we go to management we don't say, “Hey, you can save some money.” We'll be very specific about what we believe can be saved, what the expense is, and what the return on investment is.” — Scott Bargerstock [0:10:53]

 

“We've actually become really good at looking at federal laws. One of the websites I always keep up is congress.gov because I'm constantly looking for what's in new legislation, what’s been recently passed.” — Scott Bargerstock [0:27:17]

 

“That's something to look at: If I can reduce my waste, do I reduce my energy? The answer is usually ‘yes.’” — Scott Bargerstock [0:33:10]

 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

 

Scott Bargerstock 

Mohawk Industries 

Scott Bargerstock Email

congress.gov 

Department of Energy

Smart Energy International

Smart Energy Decisions

KGI International

Compressed Air Best Practices 

DSIRE

Ally

CLEAResults

Morty Hodge 

Greg Smith

Hodge Compressor

The Industrial Movement 

The Industrial Movement on Twitter 

The Industrial Movement on Facebook 

The Industrial Movement on LinkedIn


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