Sweet savings: ABB’s IE5 SynRM motors help confectionery producers use less energy

Netzsch-Feinmahltechnik, a Germany-based manufacturer of mills for the confectionery industry, has further reduced the energy consumption of its machines by fitting IE5 SynRM motors from ABB. Benefits for confectionery producers include lower energy costs and greater sustainability.

Confectionery producers require high performance from their processing equipment, with the energy consumption of the machines playing an especially important role when electricity prices are rising rapidly. ABB’s IE5 ultra-premium efficiency SynRM (synchronous reluctance) motors – which are available in air- and liquid-cooled versions – are an ideal solution to meet these challenges. The motors maximize energy efficiency, which means that an investment in these high efficiency motors has a short payback period.

Efficient grinding of confectionery masses

Netzsch has used ABB's IE5 SynRM motors in its agitator bead mills, which are used in the manufacture of chocolate, fillings and other confectionery products.

When producing chocolate fillings, sugar, fat, milk powder and other ingredients are mixed and then ground to the required end fineness using an agitator bead mill. The MasterRefiner horizontal agitator bead mill from Netzsch is a wet grinding system with high throughput and efficient crushing action.

Further reduced energy consumption

The MasterRefiner requires less energy than other agitator bead mills, and its energy consumption has now been further reduced with the use of IE5 SynRM motors. A Netzsch agitator bead mill with an air-cooled IE5 SynRM motor has been in operation at confectionery producer August Storck KG since 2023. Storck is one of the world's leading confectionery manufacturers, with brands such as Toffifee, Merci and Knoppers.

Storck is a family-owned business that seeks to minimize the environmental impact of its activities. Central principles of its sustainability policy include efforts to use energy efficiently and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. All operations, including production processes, are optimized to reduce the use of resources. The company decided to order ABB’s SynRM motor technology due to its energy-saving potential, which will help Storck achieve its sustainability goals.

Savings potential

Production of confectionery masses offers great potential for energy savings due to the extended running times of the processing machines. The very high efficiency of ABB's IE5 SynRM motors is therefore a crucial factor for both Netzsch and Storck.

Netzsch and ABB have successfully collaborated on a number of projects since 2019. Working closely together, they realized a technical solution tailored to Storck's specific needs. A MasterRefiner agitator bead mill producing filling compound at Storck's Ohrdruf plant, around 130 km southwest of Leipzig, was fitted with a 75 kW air-cooled IE5 SynRM motor.

Up to 7 percent energy savings

A comparison was conducted over a period of several weeks in the fall of 2023, enabling the mill’s energy consumption to be directly compared to the energy use of a mill driven by an IE3 induction motor. This showed that the IE5 SynRM motor can provide energy savings of 3 to 7 percent.

This case serves as clear example of how close collaboration between companies to deliver tailored technical solutions with SynRM technology leads to increased energy efficiency, reduced costs and decreased CO2 footprint.

Netzsch-Feinmahltechnik GmbH is a world market leader in wet and dry processing technology.It isthe Grinding and Dispersing business unit of Netzsch Group, a family-owned technology company with headquarters in Selb, around 230 km north of Munich. Netzsch Group is active in the global markets and celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2023.