Baxter's Energy Managers Convene Virtual Conference

Since 2000, Baxter has held a biennial global energy conference for the company's facility energy managers to conduct training, development and share best practices across the organization. In 2010, Baxter held its energy conference in virtual format, and found that this new approach had several significant benefits for the company and the environment.

Baxter conducted the four-day event using Baxter Connect Meeting, which utilizes a presentation-sharing platform enhanced with video. Each day included three hours of presentations by employees from throughout the company and vendors, with more than 15 sessions in total. The agenda, which focused on new technologies, training and best demonstrated practices, covered a wide range of practical topics such as improving boiler efficiency, use of light emitting diode (LED) lighting, reuse of waste heat, and improving efficiency in high-purity water production systems.

Benefits to this new approach included the following:

• Expanded access: Exposure to the event increased with employees from more than 40 sites participating remotely, including technicians and mechanics who would normally not be allowed to travel.
• Time savings: Employees avoided more than 1,000 hours of travel time collectively.
• Cost savings: Baxter saved about $250,000 by holding the event virtually, primarily due to avoided airfare and accommodations.
• Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions: The company avoided an estimated 260 metric tons of GHG emissions, primarily due to avoided employee air travel.

Although participants identified areas for improvement – such as the need to ensure consistent familiarity with audio and video technologies prior to the conference and the importance of greater flexibility for communications among attendees – overall participant feedback on the conference was positive.

"The virtual conference was a new alternative approach that we tested as a means to continue providing the energy managers with technology updates and best practices," said Larry Funke, director, energy and critical systems with Baxter's Facilities Engineering Services group. "We were able to reach a wider facility-based audience than what normally would have been possible with a face-to-face conference."