ISO 50001 Energy Management: how Sercel structures its energy performance with end-use data
Implementing an Energy Management System (EnMS) compliant with ISO 50001 enables companies to combine environmental performance, cost control and regulatory compliance.
At Sercel, an industrial equipment manufacturer within the Viridien group, the ISO 50001 Energy Management System has become a key lever to optimise the energy performance of production sites in France, the United States, the Netherlands and China. We spoke to Céline TURMO ROCA, who leads the programme at international level.
In brief — The keys to ISO 50001 Energy Management at Sercel
- Measure what matters: end-use metering plan + influencing factors + normalised indicators (kWh/unit).
- Leverage the data: not just global kWh, but an end-use breakdown to target actions.
- Act quickly on drifts: pumps, compressors/dryers, lighting outside operating hours.
- Engage the shop floor: machine stickers and visual communication of results.
- Governance: quarterly reviews, quantified targets (−5%), and certification site by site.
Can you introduce your role and the scope it covers?
Céline TURMO ROCA (C.T.R) — I am CSR & HSE Director for the Sercel group. Sercel is the “Equipment” division of the Viridien Group. I cover our main industrial sites: two sites in France, one in Rotterdam, one in China and two in the United States, plus smaller sites (R&D in Edinburgh, repair in Dubai, sales offices, etc.). In total, 17 sites, but the energy consumption optimisation approach mainly targets the manufacturing sites.
Why did you decide to implement an ISO 50001 approach?
C.T.R: It started with the mandatory energy audit in France (every four years). We had carried out two audits, but the benefits were limited compared with the internal effort required. Structuring ourselves through the ISO 50001 standard seemed more efficient and sustainable — and consistent with our ambition to reduce CO₂ emissions at group level.
We ran ISO 14001 and ISO 50001 certification in a coordinated way: Nantes and Houston simultaneously, Rotterdam first launched ISO 14001 and then 50001.
How are ISO 14001 and ISO 50001 certifications complementary?
C.T.R: ISO 14001 deals with our significant environmental aspects (energy, water, waste, etc.), but ISO 50001 pushes the efficiency logic further: you don’t just track overall consumption, you track consumption correlated with activity (for example, kWh per product).
During Covid, shutting down a site reduced consumption, but did not improve efficiency. ISO 50001 gets everyone aligned internally on a common language: normalised indicators and continuous performance improvement, not just raw kWh.
What have been the main challenges?
C.T.R: Historically, our workshops had little end-use metering. Yet ISO 50001 requires you to identify significant energy uses.
Second point: we are not always mono-product; building efficiency ratios by product family within the same workshop is complex.
Finally, you have to measure the influencing factors (for example, outdoor temperature, production levels, process indicators). Even for compressed air, for instance, the auditor expects us to challenge the volume of air used by product type, not just the compressor’s energy efficiency.
How did the auditors view your monitoring system?
C.T.R: The auditor already knew Smart Impulse and highlighted the strength of the tool: if you can isolate air-conditioning, heating, lighting, etc., then you can (and should) go further on relevant indicators and factors.
End-use data, recorded every 10 minutes, is a very powerful tool to help us track out-of-hours consumption, for example.
Any recent quantified results thanks to the monitoring you’ve set up?
C.T.R: Yes, two striking examples in Nantes (27,000 m²):
- Boiler room – circulation pumps:
The pumps were running in summer even though the heating was switched off. Stopping them allowed us to avoid 46 MWh over the non-heating period, i.e. about €8,280 saved. - Compressed air – compressor/dryer:
Despite a timer supposed to switch everything off at night and weekends, the dryer programming was re-starting the compressor. Fixing this led to around €8,000 saved per year.
Other drifts (for example, lighting at weekends) have also been addressed, notably in Houston.
Your number one piece of advice for starting ISO 50001 Energy Management certification?
Without hesitation: the metering plan. Map the site and its equipment properly, prioritise significant uses, and implement suitable metering. It is the foundation for robust indicators and effective actions.
Which “influencing factors” do you track? Any simple actions you can share?
Production schedules (single 8-hour shift vs two 8-hour shifts), temperature setpoints (heating/air-conditioning), process parameters (for example, heating temperature on presses)…
We are also rolling out a sticker system on machines: “I must switch off / I can switch off / I must not switch off”, to reinforce day-to-day accountability among operators.
How do you keep the initiative alive on a day-to-day basis?
Through regular communication of results (the Saint-Gaudens site displays them each month on connected screens), management reviews linked to certifications, and performance reviews three times a year at division level.
For 2025, each site has an efficiency target (for example, −5% per number of products, km of cables, electronic boards, etc.). We opted for certification by site (rather than “group”) to maintain the pressure for annual improvement; France played a pilot role, with Nantes and Saint-Gaudens certified in July.
Many thanks to Céline TURMO ROCA and the Sercel teams for this concrete feedback on ISO 50001 Energy Management and the use of Smart Impulse to support measurable, long-lasting actions.
To go futher:
Energy Metering Plan: 6 steps to Smarter Energy Management
ISO 50 001 certification: What the new EU Energy Directive changes
ISO 50001 : Smart Impulse, an Asset for Efficient Management of Energy