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Time is Money: Ethanol plant builder uses GE integrated switchboard to help reduce construction time and costs

PLAINVILLE, CT—As gas prices soar, so does the need for ethanol, the premier renewable resource used as fuel. ICM Inc., of Colwich, Kansas, an industry leader in the design, construction and support of ethanol plants—its process technology is featured in two out of three plants being built in North America—uses GE Consumer & Industrial's integrated switchboard (ISB) to help meet the demand of its energy clients to build more efficient, higher–output and more profitable ethanol plants.

Compared with standard equipment choices, GE's ISB saves ICM major installation and material costs—and innumerable headaches.

GE Consumer & Industrial's Barry Robbins, account manager, and Michael Mahan, product manager, collaborated with Bob Jacobson of Malloy Electric, a Sioux Falls–based industrial distributor of GE electrical equipment, motors and variable frequency drives (VFDs) serving the ethanol industry, to present the benefits of GE's ISB to Robert Andersen, a project manager for ICM and supervisor of dozens of ethanol plant constructions each year.

"We must provide innovation, quality, and value to our energy clients," says Andersen. "GE's integrated switchboard shares these attributes."

ICM began integrating ISB in its plant designs and construction projects in Summer 2004 with the construction of East Kansas Agri Energy in Garnett, Kansas, and Prairie Horizon Agri Energy in Philipsburg, Kansas.

ICM's plant build schedule is driven by customer demand with scheduling through 2007. ICM will install GE's integrated switchboard in all of its new plants.

"Every hour saved in the construction of our plants results in significant time and money savings for our energy clients," says Andersen. "Our customers experience quick ROI with their ISB investment due to the integrated switchboard's easy installation, low–maintenance and space–saving features."

Little footprint, big results
According to GE's Mahan, GE designed its ISB to do everything separate pieces do in only half as much space, freeing up real estate for better, more profitable uses.

"The space saved by the ISB allows us to place equipment previously located on the plant floor in the area we had been using for panel boards and dry type transformers when mounted in the traditional method," says Andersen.

With only one complete unit to install, Andersen says ICM saves countless hours of work spent receiving, conducting inventory checks and scheduling.

"We deliver the integrated switchboard in one shipment," says Robbins. "Since the ISB is pre–wired before it leaves the GE factory, the customer uses less conduit and cable, saving on material costs and creating a compact unit for our customers to interact with."

"Prior to purchasing ISBs for our plants we relied on traditional panel boards and dry types with conventional layouts," says Andersen. "The old switchgear required each piece—transformers, power and lighting panels and lighting contactors—to be installed separately. This took more time and cost more compared with GE's integrated switchboard, which is free standing since it doesn't require mounting to a wall."

"The ISB is also easy to operate—you have everything you need in one centralized location," adds Andersen. "We can efficiently control power to lights and motors."

"Since we've installed and used the ISB in our plants, we've experienced no defects and the quality has been excellent," says Andersen. "Bob is a very busy man these days. We try to save him as many headaches as possible."

According to GE's Robbins, the installed cost of an ISB from GE can be significantly lower than the installed cost for traditional panel boards and dry type transformers.

"Every plant we build has a new efficiency to help increase ethanol output," says Andersen. "The ISB is part of our plant–building innovation and evolution."

Advantages Summary: Save Time, Money, Space, Labor and Headaches

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