View 2002 User Needs Survey !!

CLASSIFICATION

Question 1:

"The MECS is now required to classify manufacturing establishments according to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). This listing shows the 1998 MECS classifications, which does not include every manufacturing classification.

Are there any other manufacturing types that would be of interest to you regarding MECS data. The corresponding NAICS code is not necessary, but please provide it, if known. For a full list of all manufacturing classifications, see www.census.gov/epcd/naics02/naicod02.htm#N31 (opens a new window)."

• Of the 37 user responses, 17 did not answer this question, 3 answered the question "sufficient," and 2 answered "no." . 
• The table below shows the responses from the other users of the manufacturing types that were not a part of the 1998 MECS survey.
• From these responses, two users chose lime manufacturing (NAICS 327410) as a part of their selections. .

NAICS Code	Title
31131	Sugar Manufacturing
311511	Fluid Milk Manufacturing
31212	Breweries
3221	Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Mills
32412	Asphalt Paving, Roofing, and Saturated Materials
324191	Petroleum Lubricating Oil and Grease
324199	All Other Petroleum and Coal Products
325182	Carbon Black Manufacturing
325193	Ethyl Alcohol Manufacturing
32531	Fertilizer Manufacturing
325320	Pesticide and Other Agricultural Chemicals
3255	Paint, Coating, and Adhesive Manufacturing
3256	Soap, Cleaning Compound, and Toilet Preparation
32712	Clay Building Materials and Refractories Manufacturing
327121	Brick and Structural Clay Tile Manufacturing
327410	Lime Manufacturing
3314	Nonferrous Metal Production and Processing
33141	Nonferrous Metal Smelting and Refining
331411	Primary Smelting and Refining of Copper
331492	Secondary Smelting, Refining, and Alloying

• Although several users provided very specific manufacturing types such as ammonia, methanol, and hydrogen in their responses, the NAICS does not allow for specific breakouts by product.
• The MECS survey includes NAICS industry sectors 31-33 only, so some user requests were out-of-scope  (i.e. coal mining, biomass industries, power generating stations, renewable power industries, waste processing industries, etc.).

FUEL SWITCHING

Question 2:

"We are considering 'adding' certain types of MECS information that reflect emerging issues in the manufacturing environment.

Please tell us your concerns, using the box below, if we reinstate the collection of information about manufacturers' "fuel-switching capabilities." Fuel-switching questions were removed from the collection of 1998 MECS data. However, we feel such questions are again necessary due to the increased price volatility of energy and the necessity to update baseline statistics."

• 17 respondents did not answer the question. 
• Out of the 20 users who did answer the question, 15 felt that reinstating and collecting the information about fuel-switching capabilities are warranted especially considering price volatility.
• One respondent felt it would be useful to collect information about the underlying circumstances that causes facilities to switch fuels.
• Another of the respondents agreed to reinstate and collect information about fuel-switching capabilities, but only if another section in the survey is removed so as not to overburden the effort of the respondents. 
• An additional user responded, "Fuel-switching data are only valid if the relative cost to consume includes all life-cycle activities of the fuel."
• The last 2 respondents thought that the collection of this information is not necessary because many manufacturers lack the capability to switch on short notice and, if they do have the capability to switch, will only do so if it is economical.

TECHNOLOGIES

Question 3 (Part I):

"The MECS collections of 1994 and 1998 data both tabulated the number of establishments that used certain specific technologies that are only applicable to particular industries (for example, continuous digesting and displacement bleaching in paper industries, bioprocessing and hydrocarbon cracking in chemical industries).

Specific technologies were listed in the following manufacturing areas:

• Food (NAICS code 311)
• Beverage and Tobacco Products (NAICS code 312);
• Textile Mills (NAICS code 313);
• Textile Product Mills (NAICS code 314);
• Paper (NAICS code 322);
• Chemicals (NAICS code 325);
• Nonmetallic Mineral Products (NAICS code 327);
• Iron and Steel Mills (NAICS code 331111).

Please see www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/mecs/mecs98/datatables/d98c10_3.htm (opens a new window) to view an example of the specific technologies that were collected in 1998.

Please tell us if the industry-specific technologies are of interest to you. Also, suggest any additions to or deletions from our set of technologies."

• 22 users failed to answer the first part of the question, suggesting a lack of usefulness for these data. 
• Out of the 22 respondents who did not answer the first part of the question, only 12 answered the second part (see below) and felt that the tabulation scheme is adequate. 
• 5 out of the 15 users who did answer the first part of the question think that the information gathered in the specific technologies section is helpful and of interest to them. 
• 2 respondents felt that the information is quite helpful, but sensed it might be more useful to focus on new technologies in relation to energy efficiency.
• 5 respondents thought that new technology information would be useful to them in the areas of combustion/emissions control, gas fired combined cycle, cogeneration, renewable energy sources, waste feedstock gasification systems, plasma torch, off-gas cleaning, and using biomass materials as alternative feedstocks. 
• 3 of the 15 respondents felt there was no need to retain this technology section, responding, "No, I do not think this is relevant -- it should be up to each manufacturer to stay as current as they may desire, and I see no reason to keep this part of the survey."       

Question 3 (Part II):

"Also, please tell us if our present collection/tabulation scheme (the count of number of establishments with/without a given technology) is adequate for your needs."

• 4 out of 15 users who answered Part I of the question thought that the tabulation/collection scheme was inadequate. 
• 1 respondent felt it was inadequate because there are no consistencies in data from one survey to the next. 
• Another felt the data are inadequate because there is not enough information pertaining to output volume data.
• 1 more user commented, "In some instances the format does not allow some tabulations to be printed even in landscape format."
• The last respondent failed to make any further comments after deeming the scheme inadequate.
• Although a majority of the respondents failed to answer the question, of those who did respond, there seemed to be a slight edge in favor of keeping the new technologies section. 

RANKING OF TOPICS

Question 4:

"Due to budget constraints, we think it is possible that at least one of the following data items will "not" be collected during the next MECS. Please tell us which items are of most importance to you.

Upon completion of Question 4, please check to be sure that you have not selected any rank number more than once.

Please rank the following data topics "a" through "f" in order of importance to you."

• The percentages in the table correspond to the percentage of users who ranked each data topic one through six.
• Each column in the table signifies a rank, with the first column being the highest and the sixth the lowest. 
• 7 respondents did not answer the question properly.  Hence, the results below are from the 30 users who did respond correctly. 

Topics	Rank 1	Rank 2	Rank3	Rank 4	Rank 5	Rank 6
Energy Consumption by Types of End Use	73.33%	0.00%	6.67%	10.00%	3.33%	6.67%
Amount of Square Footage of Manufacturing Floorspace	10.00%	13.33%	23.33%	30.00%	13.33%	10.00%
Energy Management Activities that are currently in use	0.00%	3.33%	30.00%	20.00%	33.33%	13.33%
Cogeneration Technologies that are currently in use	6.67%	20.00%	10.00%	20.00%	20.00%	23.33%
General Energy Saving Technologies that are currently in use	3.33%	20.00%	16.67%	20.00%	26.67%	13.33%
Specific Technologies in Particular Industries that are currently in use	6.67%	43.33%	13.33%	0.00%	3.33%	33.33%

• Another interpretation of the respondents' answers to question 4 is shown in the pie chart below.
• The pie chart is based on a point system, with a maximum of 630 points attainable.
• The 30 users who responded correctly each received 21 total points.
• An "a" response, the highest rank, earned 6 points, and reduced in points, in relation to order of importance, to 1 point for the lowest rank of "f".

OTHER COMMENTS

Question 5:

"Please use the box below to tell us about any additional suggestions or comments you may have."

• The majority of the respondents did not have any further comments or suggestions, however, 2 users felt it is very important to collect and retain good data for a wide array of industries. 
• A user asked if the MECS survey could come out more often than every 4 years.
• 1 respondent suggested a more automated survey; one with which the forms are supplied pre-filled out with previous survey responses and electronic.
• Another respondent felt that there are a lack of data for wind and other renewable energy sources in the survey.
• A suggestion came from a user who wants to see the collection of total horsepower of compressed air systems added to the MECS survey to provide important industry information for their needs, which may tie into the "Types of End Use" section of the MECS survey.
• A final comment came from a respondent who felt that the "other" category in the MECS survey tables are too all-encompassing, and a more detailed breakout of the category would be helpful if it is feasible to do so without revealing withheld or protected data.