August 2026 Volume 8

ENERGY

glass, food and beverage, and process heat. The message to manufacturers is clear: industrial energy use, especially high temperature process heat, has become a national competitiveness issue. 1 For forging companies, the opportunity is practical. Energy savings do not always require a complete plant transformation or a leap into unproven technology. Many of the most realistic savings come from better control of existing equipment, improved furnace practices, reduced idle time, combustion tuning, maintenance discipline, waste heat recovery, compressed air improvements, motor controls and formal energy management. In other words, the first step is not necessarily to buy new equipment. The first step is to understand where the energy is going and where it is being wasted. Start with the Furnace For most forge shops, the biggest opportunity begins with process heating. Furnaces and heating systems influence not only energy costs, but also throughput, scale loss, part quality, maintenance needs and production flow. A furnace that is poorly tuned or poorly scheduled does not simply waste natural gas or electricity. It can slow production, create inconsistent heating, increase rejects and reduce the efficiency of downstream operations. This is why forge shops should treat furnaces as production assets, not just heat sources. The same discipline applied to presses, hammers and machining centers should also be applied to furnace certification is not the goal. It provides a practical framework for assigning ownership, tracking energy intensity, identifying significant energy users and keeping savings from disappearing over time. DOE Onsite Energy Technical Assistance Partnerships DOE’s Onsite Energy Technical Assistance Partnerships provide technical assistance to industrial facilities and other large energy users evaluating onsite energy options. These may include combined heat and power, battery storage, district energy, fuel cells, geothermal, industrial heat pumps, renewable fuels and other onsite technologies. This resource may be most relevant for larger forging operations or multi-site manufacturers evaluating resilience, energy reliability, peak demand reduction, waste heat utilization or onsite generation. NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership The Manufacturing Extension Partnership, administered by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, supports small and medium-sized manufacturers through state-designated MEP Centers across the United States and Puerto Rico. MEP Centers provide local support on operational improvement, competitiveness, productivity, supply chain resilience, technology adoption and related manufacturing needs. For forging companies, the local MEP Center may be a useful first call when evaluating energy projects, grants, operational improvements or connections to other state and federal resources.

performance. That includes measuring utilization, tracking fuel use, reviewing downtime, monitoring temperature consistency and understanding how operating practices vary by shift. One of the most common sources of waste is idle heat. Furnaces are often held at temperature while waiting for material, tooling, labor, handling equipment or the next production run. In some cases, this is unavoidable. In many cases, it is a scheduling and communication problem. Better coordination between furnace operators, press crews, maintenance and production planning can reduce the amount of time furnaces are hot but not productively heating material. Loading practices also matter. How often are doors opened? How long do they stay open? Are billets staged properly before loading? Are operators following consistent practices across shifts? Every unnecessary door opening brings in cold air and releases heat that must be replaced. In high-temperature environments, those habits are not trivial. A useful example comes from Gränges, a global aluminum manufacturer. The company has studied furnace loading sequence, burner parameters, temperature, pressure, operator practices, door openings, sensors and artificial intelligence as part of its energy savings work in aluminum casting and melting. While aluminum melting is not forging, the lesson transfers well: in heat-intensive manufacturing, operator practices and process control can have a meaningful effect on energy use. 2 Federal Tax Incentives Companies should also review federal tax incentives with their tax advisors. For example, the Section 179D Energy Efficient Commercial Buildings Deduction may apply to certain qualifying building energy efficiency improvements, including building envelope, HVAC, hot water and lighting systems. Other incentives, such as the Section 45X Advanced Manufacturing Production Credit, are more specialized and apply only to manufacturers producing certain eligible clean energy components or critical minerals. Because tax rules, eligibility and deadlines can change, companies should confirm current requirements before making project decisions. Practical First Step Before starting a major energy project, forge shops should gather 12 to 24 months of utility data, identify their largest energy users, document known problem areas, and contact their utility provider, local MEP Center, DOE ITAC, or an energy assessment provider. A strong assessment can turn plant-floor observations into a prioritized list of projects with estimated savings, payback periods and potential funding pathways. For more information on these opportunities and how FIA can help support you and your business, please contact Spencer Bell, FIA Director of Government Relations at spencer@forging.org.

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