South Africa, Oct. 29 -- Compressors, dryers, chillers and material conveyors add a significant secondary load.

Printing and labelling operations are similarly electricity-hungry.

Motor-driven equipment on printing presses, material-handling conveyors, and finishing equipment such as cutters, trimmers, binders, and labelling units can account for a large share of consumption, while thermal and gas systems handle drying and curing.

For energy-intensive manufacturing operations like these, electricity cost and availability can directly affect production economics, especially as tariffs continue to change and businesses have more options for sourcing power.

However, alternative options like installed PV solutions only cover a certain per...