By upgrading machinery, Northern Plastics saved enough electricity to power 20 average-use homes for a year.
Northern Plastics has provided product development and fabrication services in the Flathead Valley for three decades, creating everything from bear-proof food containers to the water meter lids found in your front yard. Earlier this year, the company made a major energy efficiency upgrade by replacing its four traditional hydraulic injection molding machines with electric servo-driven models.
Hydraulic machines run continuously during production, consuming energy even when idle, and typically shut down only on weekends. In contrast, the electric servo systems only draw power as they actively operate, which significantly reduces energy consumption.
This upgrade will save approximately 215,870 kilowatt-hours annually—a nearly 63 percent reduction in energy use. That amount of energy savings can power about 20 average Montana homes for an entire year!
Efficiency improvements like this demonstrate how industrial operations can support regional grid reliability while helping manage growing energy demand across the region. Congratulations to Northern Plastics.
