With nearly 50 GWh consumed each year at 11 sites, Riccobono's electricity bill is one of the top three cost items for its plants. Rising energy prices prompted the French printing group to review its purchasing strategy in order to better control this expense, preserve margins and gain visibility on future budgets. In response, it turned to Mint Energie.
A site-by-site purchasing strategy
First of all, Mint Energie analyzed consumption data for each of the group's 2700 sites. The challenge was to take into account the specific rhythms of the business. Units dedicated to the daily press consume mainly at night. Other sites require more electricity during the day. This detailed understanding of usage led to the implementation of a new purchasing strategy.
Rather than a standard fixed-price electricity offer, it became clear that the most advantageous strategy for the Riccobono printer was to build up its budget gradually, and trigger purchases when market conditions were more favorable. Mint Energie supported this change by educating Riccobono on the mechanisms of the electricity market and by setting up dashboards. Riccobono now has precise monitoring of its energy expenditure and greater visibility over its commitments.
The first effects can also be measured on more technical parameters. Nicolas Vermogen, Director of Energy Management at Mint Energie, explains: "On two of the eleven sites, we identified that optimizing subscribed power could save around 50,000 euros a year" . This simple contractual adjustment reduces the bill considerably.
Other savings avenues under study
The collaboration also opens up other avenues for reducing energy costs. The installation of photovoltaic panels is one of the options under consideration. At the Gallargues site in the Gard region, energy savings of around 25% per year have been estimated. Other options, such as battery storage solutions, are also under consideration.
Marc Tonkovic, Project Management Officer and Purchasing Director of the Riccobono Group, sums up the next step: "This collaboration, which is just getting off the ground, augurs well for new optimization projects far beyond the purchase of energy."
