FOLLOW US Twitter CONTACT US FTJ Email address Phone number
 
SIX ISSUE ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION FROM JUST £230

Inspirational achievement – an energising success story

A polyurethane moulding company and ‘friend’ to Foundry Trade Journal and the metal casting industry is among the companies recognised with a prestigious award for an ‘indispensable contribution’ in championing energy efficiency and for exhibiting innovation in managing their energy needs and usage. Midas Pattern Company Ltd beat of stiff competition in the Energy Institute Awards 2020 to scoop the award in the Energy Management category for the Midas Green Initiative.

A record 160 entries from around the world – from Nigeria to New Zealand, Spain to Singapore – were in the frame for the ten prestigious awards, which were announced at the annual ceremony in December. The event saw participants praised by both the president of the Energy Institute (EI) and the UK Energy Minister. Held virtually for the first time in the Awards’ 21-year history, the expert judges praised the outstanding and diverse talent of the winners and nominees, who showcased “ingenuity and strength”, despite the global pandemic. Hosting the ceremony, EI president Steve Holliday FREng FEI said: “These awards recognise the engineers, scientists and innovators who together make energy safer, cleaner and more accessible – from conventional fuels through to growing fields in low carbon technologies.

“I am proud to be part of an industry delivering day-in-day-out in the most difficult of circumstances, making an indispensable contribution during the global pandemic and keeping energy supplies flowing.  UK Energy, Business and Clean Growth Minister Kwasi Kwarteng MP also spoke at the ceremony, saying: “Behind the advances that improve our lives today are millions of people in and around the world of energy doing tremendous work. “It’s a privilege to have this opportunity to express my admiration and thanks to the winners of all ten EI Awards.

“Whether it’s ensuring we protect our environment and reduce emissions, or extending universal access to energy, the leadership and achievement that we’re celebrating today is truly inspiring.”

Energy Management

Effective energy management is crucial to ensure the efficient use of energy in a domestic, commercial or industrial setting, and investments in energy management produce a wide range of benefits, including reducing an organisation’s costs and cutting greenhouse gas emissions, in addition to improving energy security. The Energy Management Award recognises individuals or organisations that have effectively deployed practices to improve their energy efficiency performance through the design and implementation of materials, systems, software and supply chains; and/or which have been able to reduce their carbon emissions and energy waste.

Looking for a clearly defined strategy for reducing energy use and measuring performance and to realise reduction targets and a demonstrable benefit to business operations, Midas Pattern Company stood out against this remit, along with its ability to prove management commitment and employee engagement. Following a re-think of the entire production process and manner in which the business is managed (refer to the April 2020 issue of Foundry Trade Journal), Midas has truly embraced the philosophy, with all activities – large and small – placing a focus on energy efficiency and best practice from an ethical and commercially sound aspect. Having achieved an objective of becoming process carbon neutral in July 2020, the company has continued to reduce waste and energy consumption and is striving to improve in all areas of sustainability. By investing in energy-efficient equipment, using renewable energy sources, and investing in 650 photovoltaic panels to create its own solar farm, Midas has continued to make significant progress.

The EI recognised the ongoing achievements at the company, which resulted in Midas being selected as the winner of the 2020 award in the energy management category, beating competing blue-chip companies. Speaking with pride at winning the award, MD Alan Rance said: “In recognising the good work done by the Midas Green Team you have enabled us to encourage other people, and other companies, to do all that they can to reach carbon neutrality in their worlds.” Rance is a regular contributor to Foundry Trade Journal and is keen to pass on all that he and his team have learned about the move to be more “green” to the global foundry sector, to inspire others to work together to find solutions to the climate change crisis.

“We all must do everything in our power to arrest the terrible increase in global mean temperatures that threatens the lives and livelihoods of our children and their children, by reducing our carbon footprints,” he said. “It is crucial that we all do that as quickly as possible, there really is no time to waste.”

The eight categories at the EI Awards were: Access to Energy, Energy Management, Environment, Health and Safety, Innovative Technology, Low Carbon, Public Engagement and Talent Development and Learning. Alongside the innovative winners of the eight project categories, the 2020 individual awards were presented to two distinguished women in their fields. Ujunwa Ojemeni, founder of the Africa Women in Energy Development Initiative won the Energy Leader Award. Carol Choi, innovation analyst at UK Power Networks, became the EI’s new Young Energy Professional of the Year. The EI Awards were presented in association with the EI’s Generation 2050 initiative and its supporting partners Chrysaor, EY, IBM, Neptune Energy, Ørsted, Repsol Sinopec Resources UK, and Vattenfall.

The annual EI Awards are organised by the Energy Institute, a not-for-profit chartered professional membership body bringing together expertise to tackle urgent global challenges. A full list of the winners is available at: www.energy-inst.org

Foundry Trade Journal is proud to follow Midas and all companies on their journey to make a difference and highlight the many business benefits of renewable energy and waste management.

Learn more about the Midas Green Initiative in the pages of Foundry Trade Journal each issue and at
www.midaspattern.co.uk/green-initiative

Carbon neutral products – added value for the customer

From 1st January 2021 all Midas products, including the PU mouldings, MRIM and FASTrim tooling, foundry pattern equipment, and engineering models will be delivered completely ‘carbon neutral’. 

This is made possible because the company has entered into a five-year partnership with The Forest of Marston Vale, a 61-square mile woodland located in Bedfordshire (UK), just 3.2 miles from Midas. The company’s purchase of Pending Issuance Units (PIUs) from The Forest will enable it to mitigate ALL the embedded carbon within its ‘sold’ products. Further to this long-term arrangement, Midas has also committed to fund the planting of a minimum of 500 additional trees per annum. The partnership allows Midas to become a carbon net-zero manufacturer. This means with immediate effect, the company will be mitigating all embedded carbon across 100 per cent of its products! The Forest of Marston Vale is one of twelve community forests set up by the UK government to achieve major environmental improvements around towns and cities and to help with regeneration and sustainability over a 40-year period. The team at Marston has been working hard since 1995, improving the local environment and combating poor tree coverage caused by previous industrial activities. From just 3.6 per cent tree coverage in 1990 to over 15 per cent in 2015, success is happening in The Forest of Marston Vale, but to achieve the target of 30 per cent tree cover, a further five million trees need to be planted. Each tree costs around £20.00 to plant and manage, over a five-year period.

Rance says it is not just good for the environment but for the customer too, which he argues goes hand in hand. “Customers can rest easy knowing that all parts purchased from Midas will be produced in a carbon-neutral environment. Not only that, Midas mouldings will have the added benefit of being shipped with all embedded carbon fully mitigated, so the customer doesn’t have to worry. This will save them time, money, and a significant amount of hassle.

“As a manufacturing business, we do not need to mitigate embedded carbon content in our products. Embedded carbon is actually our customers’ responsibility, but we have taken full responsibility for all carbon related to our business. As a result, our customers don't need to spend precious time calculating carbon content or managing offsetting schemes – we have done it for them. The #MidasGreenInitiative is all about genuine environmental responsibility. That’s why we have become carbon neutral, mitigated all our embedded carbon, and shouldered all associated costs. This is responsible 'green manufacturing', decades ahead of the 2050 Paris agreement deadline.

“We are spending large sums of money in an effort to help halt climate change, provide sustainable products to our customers and ultimately, secure our manufacturing future in the UK.”