18.02.2025

The Gliwice ceramic sanitary ware factory of the Roca Group – a key manufacturer in the bathroom industry – uses approximately 30% less energy each year thanks to investment in drive technology. The implementation was proposed and carried out by Control-Service, a Danfoss Drives partner. The investment paid off in just over six months, and with the savings the Roca factory can focus on improving its operations.

The manufacture of ceramic sanitary ware, like most ceramic sectors, is energy-intensive, with energy accounting for up to 30% of total production costs. In addition, high energy consumption adversely affects the environment. For this reason, Roca is taking ESG actions on decarbonisation and the circular economy. It also focuses on sustainable logistics, supply chain and materials (e.g. Fineceramic, a ceramic formula that uses fewer resources).

Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do – from product development, material sourcing, production, logistics, packaging and transport to promoting responsible product use practices. Roca is a member of the UN Global Impact Initiative, pursuing the Sustainable Development Goals. The most important one is to achieve climate neutrality in 2045. So far, counting from 2018, Roca Group has reduced water consumption by 53% and energy consumption by 50% globally, points out Marek Słaboń, Roca Group CEO.

Seven months’ return on investment for ventilation installations

The collaboration between Control-Service and Roca started with a visit to a factory where the fan motors were powered directly from the mains. Control-Service experts pointed out that savings can be achieved as long as the company invests in drive solutions. To demonstrate this, they proposed a test retrofit of the ventilation system in the hall, where 75 kW fans were supplied directly from the mains and operated continuously and independently of the current demand.

The application was supplemented with a flow sensor controlling the number of air exchanges, and a temperature sensor. The specialists determined the speed and number of fans switched on at a given moment based on the readings.

The system, using a Danfoss Drives frequency inverter, also featured a current analyser that measured energy consumption – first without, then with the installation developed by Control-Service. It turned out that very often, instead of multiple fans, the operation of a single one was sufficient.

On this basis, the Roca plant in Gliwice decided to implement the system on a permanent basis. That was not the only one. As a result, inverters at the Gliwice factory were installed at other fans, but also:

agitators, as their pace did not have to be uniform;
conveyor belts, which could run slower because the spaces between the goods were originally quite large;
pumps.

The investment in frequency inverters reducing the average rotational speed of the motors in the HVAC application paid off after just seven months. This is why we have extended our cooperation – in three years Control-Service has installed a total of 45 units with us. They save around 30% of energy each year. This translates into new opportunities for process improvement, explains Przemyslaw Blada, maintenance and infrastructure manager at the Roca Group.

The cooperation demonstrates how effectively the use of frequency inverters can influence process optimisation and cost reduction – not only in the long term. The cooperation between Control-Service and the Roca Group plant in Gliwice highlights that investment in drive technology should be treated as OPEX, not CAPEX. The devices are installed to make savings tomorrow, not in a year or two. It also should be remembered that in addition to reducing energy costs, inverters also contribute to operational efficiency and extend the life of equipment, which further supports the pursuit of sustainability, adds Marek Dudziński, country manager at Danfoss Drives.

Exactly how long it will take to see a return on investment actually depends on the machines whose speed will be regulated.

The return on investment time at the Roca factory obviously depends on the application. It is faster when pumps and fans are involved – a 20% lower speed in their case results in up to half the power consumption. The situation is different with constant-torque drives, as the reduction in current consumption is proportional to the reduction in speed, explains Jaromir Turlej, CEO of Control-Service.

What processes are supported by frequency inverters

All machines, such as fans and agitators, whose speed is controlled by frequency inverters, operate in the Roca factory, where ceramic sanitary ware products, primarily the Roca and Laufen brands, are manufactured for the Roca Group needs throughout Europe (e.g. toilet bowls, washbasins and bidets).

Products at Roca are made from ceramic clay, prepared in-house. The process starts with loose materials, which are first mixed with each other and then with water. The resulting ceramic mass is moulded into products using two methods: the traditional pouring of the moulds with a column of liquid or machine die-casting, which resembles the operation of injection moulding machines.

After casting and removal from the mould, the products are transported to a drying room where they spend several hours. The dried pieces are then coated with a glaze (also made in-house), which gives them a glossy shine upon firing.

After the glaze is applied, the products are seasoned and then fired at high temperatures, reaching (depending on the kiln and piece) up to 1,000 degrees Celsius. The firing process takes several hours. After firing, the finished pieces are taken out of the kiln, packed into boxes and sent to a warehouse, from where they are delivered directly to the customer.

Green operation

The key thing about the whole investment is that the equipment has been in operation the whole time, since its installation in 2007. In this way, the company ensures production continuity and optimal efficiency. Regular servicing and repairs carried out by Control-Service guarantee that equipment remains in perfect working order, eliminating the need for frequent device replacement.

The operating risks of the frequency inverters are periodically reviewed by Control-Service specialists. Such a system brings significant environmental benefits, as not only an energy-intensive recycling process but also – above all – the purchase of new equipment and waste management are avoided, adds Przemysław Blada, maintenance and infrastructure manager at the Roca Group.

The operational risk audit, or DrivePro® Site Assessment, is a cyclical service provided by Danfoss Drives partners. During each audit, specialists verify the equipment for efficiency and the ability to continue uninterrupted operation. Importantly, while on-site, they also gather information about the surroundings of the inverters, looking closely at the conditions in which they operate and their consequences. For example, above-average temperatures in the hall make it particularly worthwhile to verify the operation of the fans, the temperature of the heat sinks and the contact pressure in the inverters. Dust can settle on electronics, so components should also be cleaned regularly.

Facts

There are 45 Danfoss Drives frequency inverters in operation at the Gliwice ceramic sanitary ware factory owned by the Roca Group. The devices are installed in the ventilation system and also support conveyors or agitators. With the inverters, the factory saves around 30% of energy annually. The inverters are regularly audited by specialists from Control-Service, a Danfoss Drives partner. Cyclical verification has resulted in inverters operating continuously since 2007.