The Industrial Efficiency Alliance helps Northwest industries gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace through strategic, broad-based energy management. Ideal participants are food processing or pulp and paper companies with a large facility or with multiple facilities that:

• Are interested in improving their overall energy management practices
• Have a learning culture
• Are willing to share success stories concerning participation in this program

Assessment - As the first step in the process, company representatives from operations, engineering, finance, human resources, and other related divisions participate in a one- to two-hour workshop. At the workshop, the group self ranks its current energy management practices based on a series of objective questions. The results are an overall ranking of 1 to 5, identifiable actions, and benchmark to comparable facilities.

Commitment - Following the assessment, the company is asked to make an organizational commitment to continuous improvement of its energy management practices.

Planning - When the company has made an organizational commitment, the Industrial Efficiency Alliance Channel Manager works with the company to develop a customized continuous energy improvement program that ties energy management activities into the company's objectives (e.g., production, safety, environment). While plans are unique to each company, they are likely to include:

• A statement of management commitment
• Goals of the continuous improvement program
• A summary of the assessment findings
• A definition of roles and responsibilities
• Activities, budgets and schedules to improve specific areas, e.g.:
• Goals
• Energy accounting (corporate and plant)
• Training
• Operational policies
• Equipment and systems inventory
• Metering and monitoring
• Systems and facility opportunity assessment
• Internal and external communications strategies
• Supplier and trade ally involvement

• Assessing completion of the energy improvement goals relative to the company's goals
• Conducting a follow-up assessment
• Assessing completion of action items
• Identifying specific areas for improvement