4 Tips For Improving Energy Efficiency in Manufacturing

Over the past few years, the cost of energy has rapidly increased which brings energy efficiency to the forefront for both home and business owners. The manufacturing industry is one of the highest consumers of energy, making the need for lower consumption even greater on a wider scale. 

As a result of this, companies are now prioritising new measures which reduce energy consumption while also increasing sustainability. Here are 4 tips for consideration:

Your HVAC and lighting systems are crucial to your business, but although they may be working perfectly fine, they could be negatively impacting your energy consumption! 3 key technologies you can implement in your systems to start saving energy are:

• Real-Time Monitoring: Real-time monitoring systems measure your specific energy usage, allowing you to monitor and make adjustments from anywhere to maximise efficiency. 

• Heat Pumps: The use of heat pumps is becoming increasingly popular and they are hailed as one of the most efficient heating systems as they use heat from the environment as opposed to natural gases.

• LED Lighting: LED lighting is known for its superior energy efficiency and exceptional luminosity which is particularly suitable for factories. 

Businesses started switching to using renewables due to their often lower price point, but fossil fuel alternatives such as biomass can provide high energy density.

Although renewables may not produce the large amounts of energy which some production operations need, they can still be used to power heating, cooling systems and equipment effectively. Popular sources of renewable energy for manufacturers include biomass fuel, solar panels and wind power.

Lean manufacturing is a methodology that businesses use to maximise value while minimising waste. When it comes to your energy efficiency strategy, lean manufacturing can be implemented through automation, value stream mapping and supplier relations to eliminate processes which use a lot of energy. 

Aside from energy savings, adopting a lean manufacturing ethos can also save production and waste removal costs.

Auditing your processes can make a huge difference in your energy bills as it can help identify areas in which savings can be made. This includes determining whether any of your processes can be completed with the use of less equipment or heat.

One element of the supply chain which can benefit from this is fasteners. Many fasteners offer a superior fastening over traditional welding such as self piercing rivets. By cutting down on electrical appliances, your preferred fastener method can reduce energy output. Fastener production methods such as cold forming also help to keep your supply chain energy efficient! 

If you’re looking for a way to reduce energy consumption, we manufacture cold formed fasteners which offer simple installation with reduced equipment.

Talk to our team today and we would be happy to talk through our product range to find a component perfect for your applications.