FDBusiness.com

Reducing waste in all its forms (inventory, downtime, leaks, paperwork etc) through lean manufacturing, coupled with energy saving campaigns such as ‘load shedding’, ‘switch off’, ‘insulate better’, and ‘heat efficiently’, has until now, helped to considerably lower manufacturing costs and increase profitability. However, escalating energy costs consume an increasingly large percentage (a reported 30-90%) of operating and maintenance budgets.

In the last decade, the industrial price of gas and electricity has shot up 122% and 94% respectively, so whilst Operational Effectiveness is key to meeting business objectives, it is now vital to adapt lean manufacturing approaches towards Production Effectiveness by rigorously managing energy usage.

Underlining this trend, the manufacturers’ advisory organisation EEF, published survey results in 2014 which highlighted that ‘energy management’ is a Board Level concern, with 96% ofUKmanufacturers going beyond the basics and increasing investment.

“What’s clear is that the vast majority of manufacturers that pursue energy efficiency report that it helps them manage their costs and competitiveness,” says Susanne Baker, Senior Climate and Environment Policy Adviser at EEF.

Making every second of production count is no longer enough to stay ahead of the competition. Understanding energy usage across the manufacturing process is key to identifying innovative equipment, processes, and product strategy that will improve energy efficiency.

Idhammar Systems have been providing world class OEE and CMMS systems for over 25 years and are now well placed to advise manufacturers on how to use these systems to manage energy usage efficiently and reduce their carbon footprint. 

Contact info@idhammarsystems to obtain a copy of the recent whitepaper: “Production Effectiveness: why energy efficiency is a critical element in the compound measure of profitability”.