What return on investment can I expect from Montage?
In our experience Montage has a simple payback of around 12 months (or less), with a positive impact straight to your bottom line. This is primarily derived from no/low cost operational improvements with additional financial benefits available from the consideration of capital projects.
How will Montage help my business?
Montage’s financial bottom-line proposition is very compelling, and the financial savings will continue to deliver sustainable benefit, year after year. Utilities are often the third largest cost to your business after manpower and raw materials. By using Montage, however, you could reduce this expense by as much as 15% in industrial sites and 25% in commercial buildings. This has been proven in the UK through extensive Government-sponsored case studies under the Government’s Best Practice Programme as well as a number of demonstration projects in Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe funded by various EC, UN and World Bank agencies.
Is it used successfully by other companies in my business sector?
Over 350 clients from across the globe, many of them blue chip and from many sectors, use Montage.
How does Montage work globally?
Montage has been designed for multi-site, multi-national use. Montage also has a feature which enables local currency to be used, but converts automatically to a “master" currency when reporting upwards in the hierarchy.
Will Montage complement my existing systems?
Yes. We will not interfere in any way with core data (thereby satisfying typical enterprise IT needs), and as long as the systems provide a simple output which Montage can read (such as Excel, or Access, or even a flat ASCii file), then we can create information out of data, enabling you to make fact-based decisions. SAP (or other ERP systems), real-time process control systems, Building Management Systems, metering data acquisition systems - Montage will add dramatic value to each or all.
Can’t I do what Montage does using a spreadsheet?
Spreadsheets are not designed to handle large volumes of data, whereas Montage is based on industry-standard databases (typically SQL). However, unlike most database systems, Montage provides spreadsheet-like flexibility with a superb equation editor and SmartDocuments for on-the-fly calculation power.You could probably, with a great deal of time and effort, create some elements of Montage’s functionality using a spreadsheet, but Montage will give you an application that is stable and proven.
I already have a system that measures energy – why would I want Montage?
The fact that you have already invested in an energy data measuring system enhances the benefits of Montage. Montage is designed to complement such systems by analysing the data rather than just measuring it. When used together, Montage can identify even more opportunities for low/no-cost savings. Through powerful analysis you can actually make sense of the data, enabling you to make more informed decisions and set achievable targets.
Where does the data come from?
For Montage, data points can be a mixture of manual and/or automated items gathered from meters, derived meters, data acquisition systems, degree days, production variables, in fact anything that may have a bearing on utility usage.Start with what you have and then, once you have demonstrated the power of Montage for cutting costs, the business case for more data points, such as additional sub-metering, can be justified.
How much effort is needed on my part?
Typical housekeeping amounts to only a couple of hours a week, depending upon how automated your systems are and how often changes (such as new sub-meters or differing utility tariffs) occur. However, for a Monitoring and Targeting programme to continue to succeed, it needs the on-going commitment of top management, as well as acceptance at operator level.
What about compliance with environmental or other legislation and standards?
Environmental and energy related legislation is being imposed on companies all over the world. Montage is currently assisting clients with compliance in the UK and Europe but please contact us for more information about how it can be used by you wherever your location. ISO 14001, IPPC and EMAS (and other environmental management systems) - all are largely based on the concept of continuous improvement. Montage sits ideally within such a methodology (as well as within typical corporate quality infrastructures such as TPM, six-sigma, etc.).
Can it help me monetise or manage risk in the area of emissions?
Yes. If you save energy, you create tradable carbon equivalents which you can convert to real money at the appropriate time (how much its worth is subject of course to the vagaries of the open market). Conversely, you may need to mitigate the risk of having to purchase tonnes of carbon equivalents to meet commitments such as CCL milestones. Montage gives you the tool to effectively and efficiently manage such business scenarios.
Can Montage help with dissemination of environmental key performance indicators to all stakeholders in and around my business?
Even now, many large organisations struggle to produce annual environmental reports, and those that do invariably produce them some time after the event! Montage enables you to produce accurate KPI reporting weekly, monthly or whenever you choose – by department, company, region or even globally across your organisation, thereby enabling you to bring energy and environmental performance information into the boardroom level decision-making process.